December, Book 1, A Crystal Heritage
by DenielleFervelle
Summary: The snow on the road had darkened, just like the world around them. Science was making incredibe advances and people started to develop abilities and both ran unchecked, well, it did, as far as the public was aware of it. Indeed, the United-States had the S.H.I.E.L.D and, in Great Britain, it fell under MI6's field.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**

[Hey most of the chapters are for now in French, we're slowly translating it ]  
The snow on the road had darkened, just as much as the world around them. Science was making incredibe advances and people started to developp abilities and both ran unchecked, well, it did, as far as the public was aware of it. Indeed, the United-States had the S.H.I.E.L.D and, in Great Britain, it fell under MI6's field of action.

However, between two succes, a cold wind was freezing each time more victims. Traffic of drugs, weapons, human beings, informants and spies started to disappear, nothing went as M would have wanted to. Thus, when one of their main targets, a hitman known as the colonel Moran, finally makes a mistake, MI6's director jumps on the chance. Moreover, the hitman might reveal usefull for them...

**Notes:**

Careful, this work is partly written in french and in English ! It's quite a long work that was started in french and kinda ended up with English somehow. Might be linked to the fact it was played before being written. Anyway! I hope you'll enjoy !

* * *

Chapter 1: The Fall

_The Colonel Sebastian Moran was not a big fan of London those days. Mostly because he did not enjoy getting shot. But his job had its risks and, if he ever had doubts about his life choices, his career had never been one of them. He was no man to fear wounds or death, no matter if it was his or someone else's. He was good at his job. Maybe even excellent. He did not mind the scars he had gained from it_

_The hitman still stared angrily at his reflection and at the blood stain growing steadily on his white shirt near his left shoulder. He moved his articulation without a wince, like he would have done with the hinge of a door. The muscles had not been damaged. The wound wouldn't bother him to shoot and it was all he was interested in. He put back his deep blue dinner jacket on and walked toward the dining room. He had first thought of firing from one of a neighbouring building but had quickly changed his mind after getting himself shot. _

_Of course his target would be protected. The colonel had however to admit that he had not expected an MI6 agent. He had gotten a head start on the latter but had not killed him though. Not yet. His window was too small to waste time on the spy now. _

_From the balcony, his modified AMV near his hand, the mercenary was observing the players below, searching for his target's figure. Yet, the one he found first was his earlier opponent's. Putting his rifle's grip against his damaged shoulder, Moran dropped the gun sights in front of his eye. His barrel followed a moment the British agent before stopping on the minister nearby. He was completely calm, his breath slow and steady, even with blood he was still losing. Nothing but a scratch. He pulled the trigger. The old man stood a second before crashing down on a table. On the back of his white tuxedo, a red flower was slowly growing. _

_Just as planned, the fire provoked a stampede, blocking the spy on the other side of the room. Disassembling his weapon quickly, the Colonel existed the building by the large French window near his position. From there, he jumped to the next balcony. The pain got a growl from him before he was able to get up properly and walk away._

_The first hit sent him against a wall, worsening his injury and staining the paint with blood. "So they were two. MI6 had been more careful this time." Understood the mercenary before feeling the cold of a blade going through his ribs. Moving swiftly aside with a scream of pain, he pushed away the spy. The latter broke through the window, falling to his death. Moran didn't stay to watch him died and jumped on the opposing side, to join a balcony below. A new gunshot echoed behind him. If he was lucky not to be directly touched, his luck stopped there. The bar he was holding onto was touched and broke. _

_Or the sniper had the devil's luck on his side, or he was a very good shot. Thought the colonel as he fell from a twenty-feet height, following the same path the spy had taken before him. _

_He felt his body go through a glass awning and then, darkness._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Faith

_t was now 2:00 in the afternoon and Faith had just finished her report. She was working on the evolution of the local drug traffic and the influence of the Greyson family, one of the most powerful criminal families of Europe, on said traffic._  
_She had been monitoring them since she had discovered, completely by accident, that her flatmate was dealing drugs for them. This discovery had somehow lead her to save the life of an MI6 agent and then becoming an informant for them._

_Speaking of her flatmate, Faith had just heard the familiar clicking noise of the flat's lock being unlocked. Given the time it couldn't be anyone else but Jessy, her flatmate, returning thome after his day at work._

_When she saw the cardboard box he was holding in his hands and the expression on his face, the redhead couldn't help but let a long and worried sigh escape her. It had finally happened: he had been fired._

_Now that it was a surprise. The young man's addiction had been slowly spiralling out of his control. It required more and more money , more and more time, especially to be able to afford his ever growing demand of drugs. However Faith had still hoped she'd have more time before the inevitable._

_She closed her laptop before turning to face where her newly unemployed flatmate was. Her face showed a serious and concerned expression for she was far from taking the news positively. After all, if she had chosen a shared apartment, it was because it was financially advantageous. She would be quite unable to pay the rent for this apartment alone anyway._

« Listen Jess', I can pay the rent for this month and maybe the next, so that gives you time to figure out a solution to your problem. After that, you can do whatever you want, I don't care! But if by next month you haven't figured it out, I'm going to have to terminate my share of the lease, and you'll be on your own to pay the rent in full. »_ announced Faith, hoping to wake some sense in him, she really liked this place and would rather not return to her parent's house._

_Unfortunately, the reprimand didn't have the desired effect at all. Instead of looking for a new job or even a detox program, Jessy just went to his room without answering and for the following days made a point of only getting out when Faith wasn't in the flat._  
_Having no idea of what was going on insinde her flatmate's head, the redhead just quietly went about her business. Business which was mostly working on the quite tedious translation of a spy novel. Even if she was quite distracted by her worries over Jessy's inability to provide the money for his part of the rent, she managed to work correctly._

_Those worries would cause the young woman to make what could be seen as a harmless mistake but would have serious repercussions on her life._  
_Indeed, her curious and nosy flatmate took advantage of her absence to pry into her laptop which she had forgot to turn off before going out to buy groceries, allowing Jessy to discover her status as an MI6 informant._  
_Unfortunately, this simple thing would cost her a lot. Seeing in this information as a way to gain a bit of trust from the Family (and thus more drugs), Jessy didn't hesitate an instant to sell Faith. He was indeed according way more value to the drugs he might receive than to the life of his own flatmate, who had tried to make sure he wouldn't be evicted from their flat._

_Totally oblivious of what was being planned behind her back, Faith came back home a little later to find no proof that Jessy had ever left his room, much less ventured and snooped into her own. She therefore returned to her translation, just taking short breaks when she was hungry or tired._  
_It was during one of those breaks that she heard the sound of the door being suddenly and brutally forced by three armed men. Paralyzed by surprise and fear she couldn't do anything but watch them enter the flat._

_One of them asked her to come with them without resisting so they wouldn't need to use violence, which considering that they had just broken her door was a bit hypocritical._

_Unfortunately for the redhead, the criminals might have been a bit triggered because they did not hesitate to shoot Faith when she could not retain a particularly sarcastic remark. If it was nothing lethal, it was still enough to cause serious bleeding._

_By the time her mind was clear enough to think, she was already running, unsure of how she had managed to get past her aggressors or where she was going, but she was running. Fleeing as far and as quickly as possible, running for her life._

_The redhead knew perfect that she couldn't escape for long. However, she had one last thing she needed to do before they caught her. She needed to erease every memory she had about both the Graysons and MI6._  
_So that's what she did. Or at least tried to do. Panicked as she was, she clearly lacked the focus necessary to do such a precise work and erased her entire memory instead, before collapsing of exhaustion._

_And that's how started her descent into hell._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapitre 3: Open your eyes, look up to the sky and see

_The room was white. An asepticised white. Its silence was only broken by the regular bips of the machines and the muffled sound of footsteps outside the room. He could hear the rustle of paper, someone was turning a newspaper's pages. He only seemed to focus on his surroundings, on what he felt, on the pain smothered by the medecine. Each time he tried to think about him, about what might have happened to him, he only faced an abyss. One of emptyness, one so deep he could have gained a fear of heights from it. When he eventually opened his eyes, the ceiling was darken by the night. He was in an hospital, or something similar. One where no one would be surprised by his injuries. He did not try to sit up, vaguely aware that it wouldn't be great for the wounds which had lead him here._

"Where am I ?" _he eventually asked, in a voice he would have hoped to be more confident._

_A chair scraping the floor was heard and someone appeared in his viewing field. Said someone was a woman. Likely in her fifties, she had grey, almost perfectly white hair, metallic blue eyes and her thin stature was only made thinner by her black suit. Her right hand was closed on a newspaper of which he couldn't make out the title. If the woman looked frail, you could see in her eyes she was stronger than most people._

"In MI6's sick-bay." _answered simply the latter, with a smile on her thin lips._

_He frowned. He perfectly knew what MI6 was. He also perfectly knew somethi_ng was wrong:

"Who are you ? What the hell is going on ? Why don't I remember my name ?! he exclaimed, finally understanding that the abyss he had been looking into was the absence of memories.

"We were afraid your wounds would have such consequences." sighed the woman, "I am known as M, I'm MI6 current director and your direct superior. And you are 0011."

As the patient stayed silent, M pursued :

"You scared us for a bit back there. For someone only supposed to do security, you ended up with a bullet through the shoulder blade; an important solar plexus laceration which could have lead to the loss of a vital organ and a twenty-two feet fall which generated three fractures, including an open one, a concussion, a pneumothorax and an amnesia wich we hope to be only partial." she listed whithout pity for her agent's headache.

She let out a new sigh and sat back in her chair.

"We will test your memory as soon as possible, in meantime, you are asked to heal correctly and stay in hospital."

"What do you want me to do ? Escape by the window to go and play poker ?" ironised the brunet with a small laugh quickly transformed in a wince of pain.

"It would only be the second time you'd pull off that trick." replied M as she took her bag to leave, "008 will be in charge of your return in the agency. I'll call another agent to resume your mission."

"Before you leave, I have a question for you boss." stopped her 0011, "I got a number, alright, but I'd like to know who I am apart from that."

M nodded softly, a hand on the door handle:

"Of course. Your name is Heddwyn Braxter, but I've heard your friends called you Ed or Eddy."

* * *

The young woman had been lying unconscious in this bed for a few days. Regularly visited by a man with a white smock, likely a doctor, the latter checked on her condition and replaced the IV bag she was connected to.

Except for the slow breathing and rare movements of the patient, the room was extremely calm. There was not the slightest noise filtering from outside. But it wouldn't stay that way for very long now. The slow breathing of the sleeping redhead was starting to accelerate, indicating an onset of waking.

In response to her accelerated heart rate, a monitor emitted several rather strident sounds which caused a slight startle in the man who hurried near the bed to follow closely the waking of his patient. After the acceleration of the heartbeat and breathing came the slight twitching of the eyelids, then the contraction of other muscles such as those of the arms and legs, all under the close supervision of the doctor at her bedside. Doctor who was taking detailed notes on the whole process, while reading the file he had in his hands one last time.

The redhead felt like she was floating in a sea of cotton. Everything was so diffuse that she could hardly feel her body or even tell if it was a dream or reality. She did felt some pain in her shoulder though but it was as if suffocated by the fog in her brain,.The very faint sensations coming from her body weren't helping her to focus either.

It was only when a voice began to reach her that the fog lifted enough to allow her to reconnect with her senses and finally wake up.

It would take her a moment before her eyes could focus enough for her to examine the room she was in, which absolutely did not look like a hospital room. It did have a heart and blood pressure monitor, but instead of the clean tiles white she was expecting the walls were made of a warm brown wood, same thing for the floor which was covered by a comfy looking carpet.

"Miss Jones, can you hear me?"

The voice asked slowly, repeating itself a few times before she could understand what it was saying. When she turned her head, she saw the man whose voice had pierced the fog. He looked kind and his smile was quite reassuring.

Completely unsure of what was going on or even of what she was doing here, the young woman nodded slightly. Even that felt strange. Her body was so slow to respond, she could barely move and was definitely not strong enough to sit by herself.

"You gave us quite a fright, Miss Jones, the bleeding nearly cost you your life." Said the doctor as soon as she had answered his previous question.

He did not seem surprised by her lack of movement nor by her non-verbal response, as if it was perfectly normal.

The redhead was utterly and totally confused. Obviously the man was talking to her but the name he used wasn't familiar to her at all. It sounded so... foreign. She tried to focus to get past the dense fog to search in her memory about the name and the bleeding but when she finally succeeded she realized that there was nothing... No memory whatsoever ! Only a total emptiness ! And the more she tried to dig, the more her head was hurting.

As she began to panic, her heart rate skyrocketed causing the monitor to bip furiously. It took fifteen minutes and a lot of reassuring from the doctor to reach a semblant of calm from the young woman.

"Excuse me... But where are we, and who is this 'Miss Jones'?" she asked, seeking answers from the man who had helped her calm down.

The doctor didn't seem surprised at all by his patient's reaction and he set about giving her a summary of the situation.

" Your name is Indigo Jones, you're 27 years old. You're an employee of the Grayson family and you've worked for them as part of the housekeeping staff for a little more than a decade now. But do not worry, it is perfectly normal for you to not remember anything. You were injured a week ago during an armed robbery attempt while protecting a member of the Family. The wound made you lose a lot of blood and your brain has been deprived of oxygen for too long, causing the destruction of brain matter and thus your amnesia."

It took a long time for Indigo to assimilate all this information as she felt completely detached from everything the man had said. Even if it was reassuring to know that even though her memory was failing, she wasn't left in the dark. She did, however, have a few questions to ask:

"Do you know if I have any relatives or someone I can count on while I'm recovering? And also, do I have a record with all my information?"

The doctor answered the first question with a sad and sorry expression.

"Sadly no, your parents died of chronic illness shortly after you turned 16. Leaving you in the care of the Graysons, who had offered to take you into their employ."

After a long moment of silence, the man in the smock continued:

" - There is indeed such a thing, but you will have to ask Madam once you've recovered." with his explanation done, he got up to leave the room after a last check up, leaving Indigo alone and exhausted by all these revelations.

Having no more stimulation to counter the fog in her brain, the redhead soon fell back into a deep slumber.

* * *

After M's departure, Heddwyn had fallen back into deep slumber. He had only briefly woke up when a nurse had came in to renew his medication before sleeping. Again. When he eventually woke up, the sun was rising. He had likely slept around the clock again. He sat up, the feeling of the fabric around him was unpleasant. Great, now he remembered something: he hated hospitals. M's warning was now fully making sense to him: he indeed would have been way more better out, playing Poker, than here. A new thing he remembered: he liked to play Poker. Yay.

On the chair next to the bed, somebody had left a carboard file with British Secret Service's stamp. On it had been left a Post-it. Intrigued, Ed took the file to read what had been written on it. With a deep blue ink, someone had quickly scribbled a message:

**M asked me to get you your file. There shouldn't be anything censored but I'll be back (after getting my coffee) in a few to answer your questions. -Sunny**

Heddwyn had not the slightest idea of who was that Sunny. He could only guess they knew each others already since they had used a nickname. Or so he thought, it could also have been a first name for all he knew. He did not pay much attention to it and opened the file. He found in it basical information, like his weight (160 lbs), his height ((6ft tall), his age (31 years old), his birth certificate and some pictures. The latter gave him an idea of how he actualy looked. He had dark hair, grey eyes in almond-shape, a thin face and, if he didn't look lean, he did not look brawny either.  
Third thing he remembered: he liked suits. He apparently spoke a few different languages and he could still use them. The smile he had gained from it quickly faded away as he got to the "Family" part. He was an only child and had lost his parents as a teenager. He had then been raised by his grandmother (on his father's side) and she herself had died almost ten years ago.

Heddwyn turned the page after staring a moment at his family's pictures. There was the abyss again. He felt nothing. No pain, no grief, no hapiness or nostlagia. Just emptiness. This feeling only worsened when he discovered his schooling file. There were pictures of school, university, even his grades records ! He had had a normal education and had studied sociology and languages in college. Reading through the file, Heddwyn discovered the weapons. He was apparently mostly a sniper but also used a Magnum as a handgun. Weirdly enough, this sight reassured him. If he could recognize those, his amnesia was maybe not that bad.

Ed quickly read through the rest of the file. After a few rows with the law, he had been recruited by MI6 at twenty-two. First working as an undercover agent, he had become 0011, an agent with a license to kill, at twenty-five with a brilliant service record. Everything was perfect. At the exception done that he did not recall any of it, or almost.

He was at this point in his thoughts when the door of his room opened. A man came in. He had ginger, almost blond, hair, a small beard running on his cheeks and blue eyes. He was wearing an old leather jacket. Heddwyn gave him thirty years-old, maybe a bit more, and almost a head taller than he was.

"Hey Eddy, small check, do you know who I am ?" asked the new-comer, a bright smile on his lips as he put his cup on a furniture.

Heddwyn coked an eyebrow:

"Sunny?" he guessed, the coffee and his attitude were pretty indicative.

The ginger's smile only grew bigger, but Heddwyn quickly shut him down:

"You left your name of the sticky note." he pursued as he showed the yellow piece of paper.

The oldest sighed and let himself fall on the sit.

"I should have thought so." he exhaled before offering his hand to the brunet, "I'm Alaric Shaw, 008, but most people call me Sunny." he introduced himself as his warm smile found its way back on his lips.

"I think I'm starting to get why." answered Heddwyn as he shook his hand, an amused smile crossing his face, "I'm taking we've known each-others for awhile ?"

"We've made three jobs together, including an undercover mission in Venezia, it does get people closer." confirmed Sunny with a small laugh, "It's partly why I'm the one in charge of getting you back into MI6. It's no big deal really. We just need to check you're back in shape for the field, both physicaly and mentally, then we'll be sent of a mission together and to wrap it up, you'll be sent on a solo job." he explained before taking a sip of his coffee.

"It's not like I had anything planned at the moment anyway." mocked Heddwyn with some sarcasm in his voice.

The though of turning down Sunny did not even cross his mind. The first information given to a blank mind, looking for landmarks, is the most important. Which is why M had started by giving him his ID number.

* * *

When Indigo woke up again, it took her awhile to gather her thoughts and five good minutes for her to remember what had happened. She did not immediately notice the well-dressed middle-aged woman sitting on the chair at her bedside. Everything in her attitude screamed authority and power, from her posture to her clothes.

Without knowing why, the redhead felt intimidated by the dark gaze of this stranger. She had the impression that she could read right through her.

As she tried to sit up, Indigo noticed that she had been unplugged from the machines and visibly changed. Because she was dressed in a sort of long nightgown, whereas when she first woke up, she was wearing a hospital gown. When she was raised to a sitting position, Indigo asked with a rather hesitant intonation:

"Hello. I'm sorry, but who are you ? How long have I slept?"

" You've been asleep since yesterday morning Indigo, it's mid-afternoon the next day, so it's been almost a day and a half." The woman replied with a small smile, her voice extremely well measured, which was far from helping Indie relax, "You probably know me as Madam, I am your employer. But I am also the mother of the man you saved in the robbery attempt of the other day, for which I am deeply grateful, wich resulted in a near fatal injury for you. Your health is quite fragile miss Jones. You will need to avoid all outside contact for a while. I promised to your parents that I would take care of you to the best of my ability." Mrs. Grayson added calmly but still very seriously as she looked at Indigo with a more warm and somehow reassuring gaze.

Indigo felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of kindness shown by the older woman who had such a charismatic presence. B ut even in such an unstable state, her empty memory recorded absolutely all the information given to her in the hope of being able to fill in the countless missing boxes. She would still do everything she could to find explanations and clues that might help her understand the situation she was in.

* * *

Notes: I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympath-

Sorry, sorry, I just reeeaaally like this song. Oh, btw ! Hi, I'm Deni, I'm the one in the notes and summary all the time ! We both hope you enjoyed this chapter and its translation of course ! If you notice any mistake in the text, thanks for bringing them to our attention ! We're far from perfect in this language.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapitre 4: Mr Boring, Q & V

_A month and a half had passed by since our protagonists awakening and, if I cannot speak for Faith's destiny, Heddwyn was doing pretty well. If he had no memory of his previous missions, of his flat, of Sunny nor M, he still found a certain comfort in how well he was fitting in. He had kept an almost perfect knowledge of concealment, surveillance, manipulation (even if he was not a big fan of the latter) and of fighting skills. It turned out he had kept the best results as a sniper since 007 and M's years in MI5. It was no surprise to him to learn she had been on the field before ending up behind MI6's desk. She had kept in her stature and in her eyes something of metallic and disciplined. _

_Discovering to what extent had gone his relationship with Sunny before had been more surprising. He would have rather wished Sunny had told him sooner. But then again, it had been a rough month for everyone and he quickly had stopped worrying about it. They had met five years ago, during Heddwyn's first year as a double-O. He had actually helped Alaric to get through it and they had been friends since then. They still were, but Venezia had came along. When Sunny had said it had brought them closer, it was an euphemism. They had now been dating for four years and had started living together three years ago. Al' had suggested they should take a "break", the time Heddwyn found back his memory. But the latter had refused. In three weeks he had not remembered anything from his past and Sunny was the one who knew him best. Staying with him was the best choice, if there was a choice to make of course._

_During his reintegration in MI6, he had met Kalinda Singh. Known to everyone as Mrs Singh, she was M's secretary and almost her shadow. The two women were an outstanding duo and it was common knowledge (to some) that, more than just a great team, the two were married. _

_Even with his social butterfly attitude, Heddwyn had not became particularly close to his colleagues. With all the tests he had been through, followed by the duo mission (which had ended up in an aquarium filled with jellyfishes) and the his solo job, he had spend very little time at the HQ. The last mission was rather simple, he was required to steal a biological weapon on an investor's cruise, killing the buyer and the seller in the process. Basically, they had made him pass the Double-O test again.* _

_And now came in the real work. Heddwyn was not behind that sentence. Sunny was the one who had said that, when he had woken up the youngest, a grey Thursday morning. The both had arrived in Mrs Singh's office at eight o'clock precisely. Mrs Singh was an Indian woman in her fifties whose raven hair had not a single strike of grey nor white in it. She was greatly appreciated by the agents and the rest of the workers. She had amber eyes enhanced by a dark eyeshadow and her lips always formed a soft smile. Next to her desk was a vase filled with different kind of flowers in different shades of crimson and purple. _

"What are doing here you two ?!" _she however exclaimed as they passed her door,_ "You're supposed to go in the council room, it was said in the message."

_Sunny made a face, awkwardly ruffling his hair: _

"Really? It wasn't said in mine..."

"Obviously, you're not always going to be on the same mission. You're staying here, I'll give you your assignment, Eddy you need to go now." _cut Kalindi as she raised an eyebrow._

_Heddwyn sighed but nodded and left the room. Joining the council room did not take long but, as he walked in the hallway, he noticed somebody waiting by the door. It was another agent, likely younger than he was, with blond hair and clear eyes. _

_Eric Shell was not specially in a good mood. He didn't like doing a "two-men's jobs" but if his partner couldn't even be on time, he was really going to hate this. His face therefore showed a certain irritation but nothing really obvious either. After all, he had a reputation to keep: one of the agent the most bored and jaded of MI6._

"Sorry I'm late." _apologised Heddwyn without bothering to explain his reason_, "0011, and you are ?" _he asked, leaving voluntarily his sentence in suspension. _

_He did not recognise his face and hadn't spend enough time in the Headquarters to have met him before. _

"0013, now that you're here, let's go and see what the boss wants." _replied quickly Eric who, even if irritated, would always keep a minimum of politeness._

_Heddwyn only nodded, understanding rapidly that his colleague was not really happy about his lateness. _

**Let's hope the briefing will improve his mood... **_ thought the spy has he pushed the panel of the door. _

_The latter opened on a large room which was almost empty. It was all glass, black, grey, white and concrete. Heddwyn was not a fan of the SIS Building's** architecture. The nineties' postmodern was nonsense to him. But then again, he was not asked to like the building but to work inside of it (sometimes). In the middle of the room was placed a huge black table surrounded by high back chairs just as black. At the table, facing them, sat M an open file before her. _

"You took your time agents." _she said as she saw them enter. _

_She turned her clear eyes to the sit facing her before smiling (even if such a smile was maybe more a grinn) : _

"007, meet your two teammates: 0013 and 0011."

_The sit was pushed back and a man raised up. He was a bit smaller than Heddwyn was in a simple black suit and a white shirt. His face was thin, almost like it had been knife-cut. He had short blond hair but his most remarkable features were his eyes. Clear blue eyes, almost turquoise. _

"You must be kidding me..." _he sighed._

_Eric displayed a shocked expression as he heard his superior's announcement. He was expecting a duo assignment, which he already didn't like, but certainly not a trio one. He hated working with other agents, but now he was served..._

"I don't like working with two people, but now you're putting me on a three agents mission?!***" _He despaired, looking at his two "teammates" with a jaded look on his face._

_Heddwyn pinched his nose bridge, slightly irritated, and went to the table. M raised an annoyed eyebrow at the two agents who were causing trouble. Both were very good at their jobs, but they were worse than cats._

"Agents, please sit down and don't make any comments, neither of you. This is a trio mission out of necessity and you were chosen for your abilities, so you better not waste any more of my time than you already did."_ she warned them, fists on hips._

_007 dropped back into his chair, an irritated rictus on his face:_

"They're just kids, I'm not here to babysit!"

_An abrupt snap echoed. Heddwyn had just split a pencil in half with his right hand. He turned to the older man, a pleasant smile which wasn't followed by his stormy eyes on his lips._

"One of the kids in question could kill you from a mile away or in a crowd without you knowing who killed you or how, and still make it look like a heart attack," _he said in a tone whose courtesy was matched only by the underlying threat._

_M smiled, her gaze shifting from Eric to James:_

"Anything else?"

"Except the fact that the other kid could ruin your social life effortlessly? No Ma'am, I have nothing more to say." _Eric continued toward the older officer, with the same jaded look on his face. Once that was done, he went to sit quietly in the last chair and answered his superior's question._

_007 raised an eyebrow. If he didn't like his future teammates, at least they would be interesting._

"Fine, these points being clarified, we can move on to your mission order. Open the files in front of you," _M ordered, sitting down again._

_In front of each of the spies was a thick cardboard file surrounded by a white seal on which was written "For your eyes only". Once opened, the file revealed a series of documents, account sheets, information on certain traffic and photos. Two of them showed people in portrait format. One was a young redheaded woman, the second a much older woman._

"Well, I think you've all heard about the Grayson family at least once since you've been with our agency. This family, especially Amanda Grayson, better known as Madam, is under strong suspicion of involvement in drug and human trafficking and money laundering." _explained M calmly, observing the agents with great attention._

"They're the number one in Europe and has ramifications all over the world. They have expanded especially in the illegal market and control part of their own production. So we've been after them for a while."_ continued M, pausing briefly to let the information get into the heads of her agents_, "Until recently we had an informant, who was monitoring the lower branches of this group's distribution. You have her picture here _\- she pointed out the young redheaded woman_ -, her name is Faith Hale, 27 years old and missing for a month and a half now. Her apartment, which she shared with a roommate, was found ransacked, apparently the scene of a shooting. Lots of blood, but no body."

_Heddwyn took a look at the fifth photo in the file, the one of the apartment. Whoever had done this had been very thorough. Broken windows, smashed furniture, smashed door and walls covered with bullet holes. Clearly 007 had done the same:_

"Didn't they send in cleaners? That looks very muddled coming from an organisation of this size." _he noted, looking up from the glossy paper._

_M nodded, taking the remark into account:_

"They did, but they only did the bare minimum, shell casings and fingerprints."

"They would have wanted to send a message?"_ assumed Eddy._

"That's what we think, as Miss Hale's flatmate had disappeared shortly before."

" If you're telling us about it today, I don't suppose anyone has any idea on what happened to that girl. What do we know about her roommate? Disappearing this close to a shooting and their roommate's disappearance is pretty strange." _ asked Eddy after carefully studying the photos, and listening to the comments of the other two agents._

_M confirmed the first sentence of 0013 with a nod before resuming:_

"Christopher Langdon, a young idiot in his twenties. Dropped out of school at 16, known to the police for stealing, using and selling drugs. Miss Hale formally recognized him as a drug dealer in the Organization's employ. We believe he was behind the shooting. Either he made a mistake that caused the shooting, or he understood Hale's role and turned her in. However, given the intelligence of our man, I doubt that very much. Now, either he's a prisoner or he's dead..."

"Or he's on the run." _concluded 007, putting the file back on the table_, "What's the plan?" he then asked.

_The older man had obviously put aside his bad mood to focus on the mission they had been given. He was usually working alone, but he wasn't willing to sacrifice the success of a mission for his personal comfort._

"You're going to Poole in the south of England. Madam has a mansion there with a lot of land. You're lucky, it's their investor meeting soon. It'll be your best chance to infiltrate. Employee, guest, henchman, I leave the choice to you. Your primary goal will be to destroy the Family from the inside, gather evidence and, if possible, free Madam's prisoners. And protect Miss Faith, especially, if she was among them. " _explained M,_ "You have carte blanche for everything else."

_Heddwyn cocked an eyebrow: This would be his first mission with so little supervision. Sunny was right when he said it was all going to hell... But he couldn't hide the faint smile on his lips. He was already starting to feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins._

"Internal destruction eh ? I'm beginning to like all this." _Murmured Eric, who was in a much better mood now that he had received the mission details_." If she is one of their staff, the miss is likely to be in quite a bad shape. They are far from known for their tenderness towards their 'employees'." _He added, thinking aloud, putting the elements together to get the full picture._

_Heddwyn frowned:_

"If she's there as an employee, it's in our interest to be part of that landscape as well, so we can help her."

_007 shook his head and smiled briefly:_

"If you're so interested, go ahead, I'll go through the front door."_ he said, getting up._

"You will decide among yourselves once you get there, using the profiles of the employees as well as the guests'," _cut them off M_, "Now, go ahead and pass by the lab on the way! I doubt they'll let you leave empty-handed."

_A broad smile settled on Heddwyn's lips. He loved the lab and their inventions far too much to refuse a visit. So he got up, grabbed his file, said goodbye to M and left._

* * *

_The ride in the lift was very quiet. it was, however, devoid of the tension that had reigned between the three officers when they had met. That was it. In a merry ding, the doors opened on the second basement of the building. This place was a strange mixture of old stones, tiles and white partition glass walls. Modernity and seniority on an equal footing, MI6 quite well summarised in a way. _

_Heddwyn put the documents correctly in the file (better not to lose any) and entered the first laboratory on their right. As he was about to look for one of the scientific officers working there, a projectile caught his eye. Forced to take astep back to avoid it, he stepped on whoever's foot was behind him. In a crackling sound, the window beside him began to freeze:_

"I told you it would work on glass." _ remarked calmly __a female voice from one of the tables__._

"Was it a reason to try?!'' _replied another, this time a male one._

_In front of the three agents stood two scientists, behind a table with two computers and covered with objects. The first was a young Asian woman with large round glasses and dark hair held backwards, holding in her hand what was probably the container of what was now freezing the glass. The second, further back, was a young dark-haired man, with glasses, a shirt and tie and was currently face palming. The first was V, the second Q._

"That was my feet... Fuck's sake V, you really can't help but test dangerous stuff exactly when we get there ? " _complained Eric shaking his head, an amused smile on the corner of his lips. Already in a much better mood than before, he walked over to the table to greet the person responsible for the mess._

_The Asian woman shrugged, smiling slyly at the three other agents:_

"It's not my fault if you have bad timing."

_Heddwyn stepped aside, coming into the room and glanced at the glass:_

"Liquid nitrogen?" _he assumed_.

" Yes, one of V's favorite toys," _confirmed __Q with a sigh._

_Soon the glass would break, tempered or not. He and V rarely shared the same lab, with the exception of important missions, which was the case of this one, given the three agents facing them. 0013, or Mr. Boring as some called him, was known for his extraordinary ability; 007, well, his reputation preceded him, as for 0011, if he had recently reappeared, his results still made him an excellent agent. And it was their job, his and V's, to keep all of them alive from the outside. With one seeking interest, the other's impulsive nature and the third unstability, it was going to be a hard work..._

"Well, what gadgets does M want us to take on board this time?" _asked 007, going past the two youngest ones to a table covered with weapons and other harmless objects, to say the least._

_Q frowned, gadgets ?! Apparently, he wasn't the only one who didn't like the commentary, as V turned her attention away from Eric and lingered on him with a cynical smile on her face:_

"What do you think you're doing ? Playing totally spies?" _she ironically crossed her arms_, "No, because I can get you a tight latex suit if you want."

_Heddwyn nearly choked on his laugh._

"You know, I think he's getting a little old for that sort of thing, it would probably look pretty tacky on a man his age. But I'm not aware of his deepest desires, I couldn't say it's not what he dreams about the most." _Added Eric, who jumped on the chance to pay back the older officer, he really didn't appreciate the comment about his age._

_Q ran a tired hand over his face. M had had another good idea with this mission._

"I think, for all of our sakes, that we should move on," _declared Heddwyn, regaining his serious, mostly thanks to the scientist's dark look._

_007 quickly concealed the sly smile on his face. At least they had some repartee. V made a face, apparently disappointed at the abrupt end of her entertainment._

"You guys ain't fun," _she said before grabbing one of the crates under the table._

_She put it on the desk in a sudden movement:_

"For God's sake be careful!" _exclaimed Q, "_It's not like they would be, I don't know, explosives in it maybe!"

_V rolled her eyes._

" If I have time, I'll try to bring you something, the Family must have some interesting stuff in their possession." _Added Eric, who, even if he grumbled a lot about it, particularly liked V's crazy and dangerous ideas._

"Yay!" sang the brunette before quickly kissing his cheek on the three other men's puzzled look.

"Seeing her like that scares me more than the bombs." _whispered __Q __to 007 and 0011_.

"I think I understand why."_ confirmed James, the shadow of a smile on his lips._

_Heddwyn shrugged:_

"What would you say if you knew Sunny."

" They'd probably run away. But anyway, this isn't exactly the best time for small talk, we've got a mission ahead of us." _ recalled Eric after recovering from his moment of bewilderment, he wasn't really good at socializing outside of missions and generally preferred to avoid showing off his emotions._

_Q nodded, confirming what 0013 said, before taking the items out of the crate. There was here a box of cigarettes, a lighter, a simple bottle of water, a fogger, three watches in very different styles, an earring, several sets of shirts and... And a lot of weapons. Heddwyn spotted a sniper rifle and a magnum which he took directly to check the two available modes. The rest contained three other handguns including a Walther PPK 7.65 min and a Beretta 6.35._

"I guess the rest isn't just here to redo our wardrobe?" _commented 007, grabbing the Beretta in the process._

_A raised eyebrow from Q made him put the gun down._

"Well done, Captain Obvious." _mocked V._

"As that you insist on smoking despite all the warnings of the medical team, these are explosives. You light them and as soon as the flame reaches the filter, boom._" explained Q, throwing the basic package to the oldest._

"With it you'll get this,"_ V added as she passed him the lighter,_ "It makes a fire, quite normally, but the bottom part is a tracker."

" Each of you will have a set of shirts. We've made them bulletproof, but they're not equivalent to Kevlar, the mesh is thin and will only protect you from small calibers, nothing more, so be careful," _ continued Q, passing each package to the agents._

"Since you have a pierced ear, I entrust you with this beautiful diamond."_ said V passing an earring to Eric_, "The top is a diamond, you can use it to cut glass for example and if you take it off and close the earring, it will explode."

_Q, on the other hand, had given everyone one of the watches:_

"Every one of them has a GPS, something to call us in case of emergency, a wire, a camera..."

_The scientist continued as Heddwyn switched off. Basically, it was an apple watch for an assassin. _

"The bottle contains liquid nitrogen," _announced V, with a broad smile on her face._ "And the spray bottle contains a very special paste. It's a liquid that solidifies on contact with air. And that explodes. But it doesn't make that much noise," _she continued._

"This being done, I guess we'll just have to wish you three good luck,"_ declared Q, once everything had been given._

"Well, thank you for all this equipment. It's always interesting to see what ideas you have, each more dangerous than the last." _added Eric with a hint of bad faith as he put on the earring. He loved V's explosive and wacky ideas but refused to admit it in public._

* * *

_While the spies were preparing for their assignment, a part of it was slowly being put in place. _

_In a month and a half, Indigo had had the time to get used to her life at the Grayson's. It was not a life of luxury but it was always more than she could have had if she had had to manage alone after her parents' death. And just for that, she would always be grateful to them. The work was hard and her health fragile but the doctor Wilson (the one who had helped her when she had woke up and through her amnesia) had prescribed her a treatment which helped to stabilise her health. She therefore was not supposed to have any more troubles on this side.  
What she regretted, however, was to be unable to go outside. She would have loved to spend sometimes in the gardens, under the sunlight. But the doctor had concluded it she wouldn't be able to do so before weeks because of her current state. Indigo had not argued and was following the physician's guidance since then. After all, it was for her own good. _

_While the manor was in uproar, bursting with activity as the reunion needed to be planned and prepared, the staff had received very precise orders on the behaviour they were supposed to have during the event. Always stay calm, do not talk to the guests unless the interaction is started by one of them and especially: stay discreet. _

* * *

*A spy with an ID number starting by two zeros is called a Double-O agents. The first 0 means they're allowed to kill for the crown, the second one means they already did so. To become a double O (according to Casino Royale), you need to kill two people, under M's orders.

**Name of MI6's headquarters, it was built in 1994 (The More You Know)

***At first, Emiko had written "a three-way mission". Needless to say we didn't keep it even though it made me choke on my tea.


	5. Chapter 5

5: Madam

Heddwyn laissa tomber son sac sur le lit avec un soupir de soulagement. Le trajet avait été long et il avait tellement lu et relu le dossier qu'il en avait mal à la tête. Quelque chose lui disait que ses missions précédentes ne devaient pas avoir un tel travail de préparation avant...

Ils se trouvaient dans l'un des grands immeubles de la ville, au troisième étage dans les chambre 463, 464 et 465. Le brun s'assit sur le matelas, faisant au passage sauter le cache de la carte SIM de son téléphone pour la remplacer avec une autre. On ne lui avait pas appris ça pendant ses vérifications, mais il gardait cette manie. A chaque travail, une nouvelle identité et donc un téléphone approprié. Lorsqu'il ralluma le téléphone, la carte était au nom de Rip Lug et le fond d'écran montrait un chat noir. Chat noir qui n'était bien entendu pas le sien.

Il avait déjà prévu ce qu'il fallait pour faire parti des profils d'employés recherchés par la famille. Pas de famille, pas spécialement intelligent, mais débrouillard, calme et discret. Il n'avait plus qu'à attendre.

De son côté, Éric avait fait de même, il prendrait le nom de William Harness un employé de sécurité pas spécialement bavard et un peu brute mais dévoué et très sérieux. Il en profite aussi pour sortir le téléphone prépayé qu'il utiliserait pour cette mission, afin de pouvoir communiquer sans utiliser son appareil personnel.

Une fois la montre et la chemise enfilées, Heddwyn sortit de la chambre pour rejoindre ses deux coéquipiers. Il vérifia l'heure de son rendez-vous et soupira. ça ne serait pas une perte de temps, normalement, mais il n'était pas sûr d'apprécier de se mettre au service d'une telle organisation. Quelle ironie...

La porte de la chambre 463 s'ouvrit, laissant sortir 007:

"-Bien, je suppose qu'on est quasiment tous prêt." supposa Heddwyn en vérifiant l'heure de son rendez-vous sur son téléphone.

« - C'est bon pour moi, pas de nouvelles des Grayson ou de leurs acolytes ?» Demande Eric tout en terminant d'ajuster sa chemise après avoir enfilé la boucle d'oreille et plaqué ses mèches rebelles en arrière. Il est assez impatient de pouvoir commencer la mission, ayant du mal à rester enfermé dans un hôtel.

"-Pas que je sache, on verra bien une fois sur place." répondit Heddwyn, "Si on est embauché, c'est pas sûr qu'on puisse retourner à l'hôtel, j'espère que tu as tout sur toi. Ce serait bête d'avoir oublié les explosifs." railla t-il.

"-Vous avisez pas de faire exploser votre job d'été les enfants, j'aimerais pouvoir profiter un peu de la fête." répliqua James sur le même ton en se dirigeant vers les escaliers.

« - Aucun problème, j'ai ce qu'il faut.» Réponds-t-il à Heddwyn, avant de poursuivre à l'attention du plus âgé, sur un ton faussement compatissant. « Oui papy, j'y penserais. Mais tu ferais mieux de faire attention à ne pas te blesser pendant la fête, après tout tu commences à ne plus être aussi solide et souple qu'avant.»

Pour un observateur extérieur cela passerait sans problème pour de la sincérité.

Le brun laissa échapper un léger rire:

"-Au pire, on demandera au service de se cotiser pour lui acheter un fauteuil roulant motorisé."

Le plus âgé secoua la tête, un sourire narquois aux lèvres.

"-J'vous emmerde les gosses, à mon époque, on avait du respect pour les aînés."

"-Dans la bible, il est dit d'aimer son prochain, techniquement, y'a que dalle sur les vieux." répliqua Eddy en attachant ses boutons de manchettes.

"-Pour un amnésique, tu fais beaucoup de théologie toi." Tiqua James.

« - Tu parles, c'est connu par tout le monde ça. Pas besoin de connaissances particulières pour savoir que tu es aussi vieux que la Bible.» Réplique Eric alors qu'il fait mine d'offrir son bras pour soutenir James dans les escaliers, « On a pas pensé à te prendre une canne, désolé faudra dire ça à la boss, qu'elle y pense la prochaine fois.»

"-Si il y a une épée à l'intérieur pourquoi pas, mais je me débrouille très bien sans." répondit 007, profitant que Heddwyn donne un léger coup de coude à Eric pour esquiver ce dernier.

"-Bon, allez, c'est pas le tout mais j'ai un entretien d'embauche moi." déclara ce dernier en hélant un taxi à l'extérieur de l'hôtel, "On se voit plus tard."

Pendant que 0013 se chamaillait avec James, il préparait mentalement son propre entretien d'embauche, n'ayant aucune idée de s'il rencontrera un chef de personnel ou si Madam se chargera des entretiens par elle même. Il préparait donc plusieurs scénarios pour couvrir toutes les potentielles situation.

En parlant de Madam, elle se préparait justement à recevoir les candidats pour le poste de barman.

Heddwyn paya le taxi, remerciant au passage le chauffeur. Le trajet avait été court, visiblement, il n'avait pas été le seul candidat à choisir ce mode de transport. Lorsqu'il passa le portail de fer forgé sombre, il laissa échapper un sifflement impressionné. S'il avait déjà vu la propriété sur les photos de leur dossier, rien ne l'avait préparé à ce qu'elle soit aussi immense. Inconsciemment, l'agent se mit à compter et repérer les moyens d'entrer et de sortir. Comme s'il préparait un cambriolage, ou quelque chose du même acabit.

Heureusement pour lui, un organisateur avait indiqué le chemin de la salle de rendez-vous via pancartes. Il passa donc par la porte de derrière, rejoignant un couloir blanc dans la partie basse de la maison. Il s'arrêta devant une porte où l'on avait marqué "entretien d'embauche" et frappa.

Même si étouffée par la porte, une voix froide et extrêmement mesurée lui répondit:

« - Entrez.»

Malgré la perte de son causée par la porte, il était néanmoins assez simple de déterminer qu'il s'agissait d'une femme d'âge mûr, probablement. Le ton ne laissait aucun doute sur la nature de l'injonction, il s'agissait bien d'un ordre, et son émetteur avait très probablement l'habitude de se faire obéir sans question.

Hedwyn arqua un sourcil, mais ne se posa pas plus de questions. Après tout, il n'était pas là pour ça. Il entra dans la pièce. Cette dernière était petite pour le manoir, mais immense pour une maison normale. L'agent retint un mouvement de surprise en voyant à qui il avait affaire. La maîtresse de maison elle-même. Voilà qui était étonnant et il n'était pas sûr que ce soit bon ou non pour lui. Avec un peu de chance, son apparence passe par tout aiderait.

"-Madame." la salua t-il avec un signe de tête, attendant que celle-ci l'autorise à s'asseoir.

Visiblement, il avait dû apprendre les convenances et l'étiquette quelque part.

« - Mr Lug, asseyez-vous. Je n'ai pas de temps à perdre donc, qu'est-ce-qui vous fais penser que vous pouvez avoir une chance d'obtenir ce poste ?»

Effectivement, elle ne perdait pas un instant et ses paroles étaient loin d'être très encourageantes pour le candidat.  
Heddwyn prit le temps de s'asseoir, ne montrant qu'un masque calme et composé. Il n'aimait pas être en position de faiblesse, mais bon, qu'est-ce qu'il ne fallait pas faire pour une mission, hein?

"-Je parles cinq langues, ce qui devrait s'avérer utile pour les commandes, je réfléchis rapidement, et j'ai un catalogue de boissons allant des jus de fruits aux cocktails à l'azote, bien que je doute que quelqu'un commande cela par ici." répondit-il donc, faisant passer un exemplaires de son cv fictif à son interlocutrice.

Madame Grayson ne répondit rien, se contentant de lire tranquillement le cv lui ayant été fourni, et le moins qu'elle puisse dire est qu'il était impressionnant. Très intéressant même, surtout lorsque l'on prenait en compte la position géographique du manoir.

« - Intéressant, mais dîtes-moi qu'est-ce-qui vous a poussé à venir postuler ici, dans un lieu aussi reculé?»

"-Le côté haute-société et le cadre ont beaucoup joué, je dois admettre. Et puis, le loyer n'est pas très cher dans la région, c'est pratique lorsqu'on est de passage." répondit Rip avec un sourire poli, il avait déjà prévu une partie de son histoire en tant que photographe amateur, et les lieux se prêtaient tout à fait à ce rôle.

« -Bien, bien. Sans plus vous faire attendre, je pense que ce serait une perte de temps pour tous, je peux vous dire que votre profil correspond parfaitement à ce que je recherchais. Vous êtes donc pris pour ce poste.» Annonça Madame, vraiment ravie d'avoir trouvé un tel employé.

Heddwyn arqua un sourcil, légèrement surpris par la rapidité de la décision, avant de se reprendre:

"-Très bien, merci beaucoup de votre confiance, puis-je savoir quand vous souhaitez me voir commencer?"

« -Demain serait idéal, aujourd'hui est une journée encore trop chargée et vos collègues sont très occupés, leur charge de travail de demain sera allégée pour que vous puissiez prendre votre poste dans les meilleures conditions.» Poursuivit Madam, toujours aussi imperturbable. Visiblement elle s'attendait à être écoutée avec grande attention.

"-Je vois, dans ce cas, je vous dis à demain je suppose." comprit le brun en se levant, repoussant délicatement la chaise sur laquelle il avait été brièvement assit.

L'entretien n'avait pas pris longtemps, s'il commençait demain, il y avait fort à parier que ce serait aussi le cas d'Eric.

"-Mes coordonnés sont sur mon cv, si jamais vous aviez besoin." ajouta t-il, une main sur la poignée de porte.

« - Nous vous contacterons d'ici ce soir pour vous transmettre les horaires de la journée et vous faire parvenir un exemplaire du contrat à signer.» Ajouta-t-elle tranquillement, comme si c'était parfaitement habituel de tant se presser.

Heddwyn ne montra aucune surprise, se contentant d'un bref sourire et d'un salut poli avant de sortir. Il ne montra rien de plus avant d'être à plusieurs rues de là où un sourire narquois apparut sur ses lèvres. C'était arrivé bien plus aisément que ce qu'il l'aurait crut mais ça l'arrangeait après tout. Il aurait même le temps de récupérer les affaires qu'il avait laissé à l'hôtel. L'agent doutait de pouvoir emmener discrètement le fusil, même démonté, mais le magnum ne devrait pas poser de problèmes. Maintenant, il n'avait plus qu'à attendre.

Une bonne heure plus tard, c'était au tour d'Eric de sortir du manoir pour rentrer à l'hôtel avec une réponse positive, lui aussi fut embauché sans le moindre problème. Il faut dire que le poste qu'il avait visé correspondait à la perfection à ses capacités. Rester calme et impassible, était d'une grande simplicité pour lui, après tout c'était la base de l'entraînement des agents du MI6.

* * *

Après une nuit de sommeil quasi catatonique, probablement les effets secondaires de son traitement, Indigo se réveilla à six heures pour commencer sa journée.

La veille, Madam avait prévenue ses employés qu'ils devraient prendre quelques heures dans leur journée pour faire connaissance et se "synchroniser" avec leurs nouveaux collègues.

Tous ces changements avaient lieu en réponse à la nouvelle organisation, prévue pour accommoder l'afflux de visiteurs et de tâches à accomplir provoqués par la réunion d'affaires se tenant dans quelques jours.

C'est donc tôt le matin que le jeune femme se leva pour pouvoir avoir le temps d'effectuer ses tâches journalières avant l'arrivée de ses nouveaux collègues, de cette manière elle pourra se faire dans le calme et sans précipitation.

* * *

Heddwyn aurait aimé avoir accès à un plan complet de la propriété. Il était d'un naturel prudent et préférait toujours savoir dans quoi il mettait les pieds. Bien qu'en soit, ce ne serait pas tellement compliqué. Récupérer des informations, Mlle Hale si elle était là et détériorer au mieux la puissance de la famille. Un jeu d'enfants non? Il avait sans doute dû effectuer le job inverse à un moment, car là, tout ce qui lui venait à l'esprit était des moyens d'éviter à des gens comme lui d'accomplir leur mission. Au moins, il saurait désormais à quoi s'attendre.

Il se leva du fauteuil sur lequel il était assit et enfila son holster puis sa veste afin de dissimuler son arme. Le holster était fin et près du corps, ce qui devrait normalement suffire à lui éviter une découverte inconvenante.

De son côté, Eric se préparait aussi, lui non plus n'avait pas obtenu de plan du manoir même s'il avait pu faire le tour des bâtiments et de tout ce qui était visible depuis l'extérieur.

L'avantage de son poste était qu'en tant que garde du corps/agent de sécurité, il n'avait pas besoin de beaucoup dissimuler son arme, puisqu'il était attendu qu'il en possède une. Ce n'était pas la première mission de ce type à laquelle il participait mais il sentit une pointe d'appréhension familière s'installer, cela ne le dérangeait pas pour autant, au contraire même. Cette appréhension était le signe qu'il était toujours alerte et prudent, le jour où cette sensation manquera à l'appel, le temps de prendre une pause serait venu.

Après avoir vérifié le fonctionnement de sa montre, Ed prit un sac dans lequel il ajouta la bouteille et le brumisateur. En espérant que personne ne tente d'utiliser l'un des deux. Ce serait drôle mais très compromettant pour sa nouvelle carrière si prometteuse. Une fois son trench-coat sombre passé, Heddwyn sortit de la pièce pour rejoindre l'extérieur de l'hôtel et appeler un taxi. La prochaine fois, il demanderait à avoir un véhicule, ça commençait à être lourd tout ça... Mais vu la réputation de James avec les véhicules de fonction, il comprenait la réticence du bureau à leur en fournir un.

L'espion arriva au manoir à l'heure prévue et jeta un regard autour de lui pour voir s'il reconnaissait quelqu'un parmi les employés qui s'afféraient.

Dans la pièce, un petit groupe d'employés s'affairait à préparer la salle pour les événements à venir, cela comprenait nettoyer et réarranger l'ameublement.

À l'entrée, Heddwyn avait aussi croisé Eric qui avait pris ses fonctions dans la matinée, celui-ci n'avait pas vu grand monde à part les responsables du personnel et quelques rares employés, mais pas de trace de Faith Hale.  
Étant plus ou moins interdite de sortie, celle-ci ne risquait pas de passer par l'entrée principale et encore moins alors qu'elle avait encore des choses à faire.

Bien, au moins, Eric et sa mine blasée habituelle ne détonnaient pas du décor. Il avait vraiment la tête de l'emploi, pour un agent de sécurité. Le barman récemment recruté se dirigea vers la grande salle de réception du manoir. Le terme "grande" salle était ici un euphémisme, comme l'on aurait put s'en douter au vu de la taille du "placard à balais" dans lequel il avait passé son entretien. Il restait d'ailleurs étonné que Madame Grayson se soit chargé elle-même de le lui faire passer. Pour un peu, il aurait eu presque peur d'avoir été découvert.

Le brun chassa ces pensées, replaçant un sourire aimable sur ses lèvres alors qu'il se dirigeait vers le large bar installé au fond de la salle pour l'occasion. Il vérifia le contenu des placards et des armoires puis aligna les verres de différents types devant lui ainsi que deux shakers. Il préférait tout avoir sous la main.

Un bonne heure passa dans le calme, les employés ne cessaient d'aller et venir, tous s'agitant pour fignoler les préparatifs, mais pour le moment toujours aucune trace de miss Hale, ni du côté de l'entrée ni du bar.  
Alors que les invités commençaient à arriver, Indigo fut placée au service, vu son joli visage cela encouragerait les invités à dépenser leur argent dans les consommables proposés, elle se dirigea donc vers le bar pour pouvoir prendre son poste.

Bien que pour une toute autre raison, Eric rejoignit lui aussi son collègue, ayant remarqué la présence de plusieurs personnes portées disparues depuis un certain temps, il avait déjà quelques informations plutôt intéressantes à partager avec lui.

Adressant un large sourire charmeur à la cliente qui partait, un cocktail à la main, Heddwyn ignora un instant la présence d'Eric pour préparer d'autres boissons. Une fois les verres remplit et prêt à partir sur le plateau du serveur ou de la serveuse qui viendra le chercher, il se tourna vers le second espion.

"-Du nouveau?" demanda t-il en mandarin, langue qu'il savait son collègue maîtriser.

« - Je crois bien que je viens juste de croiser miss Hale, ou en tout cas sa jumelle, elle devrait arriver dans une minute. Par contre elle a pas du tout l'air dans son assiette.» Poursuivit celui-ci dans la même langue alors que, comme indiqué, une serveuse rousse entrait dans la pièce, il était vrai qu'elle avait l'air assez étrange et pas vraiment dans ses baskets.

Heddwyn manqua de lâcher son verre:

"-Bordel, qu'est-ce qu'elle fout là? Elle ne devrait pas être prisonnière quelque part? Ou au fond du fleuve?"

Ses yeux clairs n'avaient pas lâché la rousse d'une seconde, essayant de voir ce qui pouvait la retenir ici.

« - Attends deux secondes, on va bien voir ce qu'elle dit, vu qu'elle semble venir vers toi.»

Puis alors qu'Indigo continue à se rapprocher et esquisse un petit sourire, pas vraiment creux mais qui n'a pas l'air très naturel non plus ajoute les sourcils légèrement froncés alors que son cerveau fonctionne à plein régime.

« - C'est moi, ou elle à l'air légèrement perchée ?»

"-Reste poli veux-tu?" répliqua Heddwyn, "Tu serais pas mieux dans son cas, si?" ajouta t-il en arquant un sourcil avant d'adresser son large sourire à Faith.

Il était vrai qu'elle n'avait pas vraiment l'air d'être là mais ils ne savaient pas encore tout et ne pouvait que présumer.

« - J'ai été affectée sur ce secteur pour ce soir, donc si vous avez besoin de quoique ce soit, n'hésitez pas à m'en faire part.» Dit-elle, en anglais, avec ce même petit sourire et cette attitude semblant un peu off. Oubliant même de penser à se présenter, heureusement elle portait un badge avec son nom.

Pour une personne lambda, son attitude n'éveillerait pas vraiment de soupçons mais pour Ed et son collègue, c'était plutôt visible

"-Je pense que ça devrait aller pour nous, ne vous en faîtes pas." répondit Eddy, "Merci... Indigo? Joli prénom." nota t-il, "Je suis Rip." se présenta t-il en lui tendant une main rendue froide par les bouteilles.

Il gardait une posture et un visage ouvert, cachant habilement le reste de ses pensées.

« - Oh j'ai encore oublié de me présenter... Madam à raison, je suis vraiment tête en l'air... Je suis Indigo Jones.» Répondit Faith, tout en serrant -plutôt mollement- la main tendue par son interlocuteur, avec une expression vraiment embarrassée, n'ayant pas vraiment l'air de comprendre ce qui lui arrivait.

"-No, ye're bloody not..." grinça Eddy en mandarin.

Il était dérangé par l'attitude de la jeune femme. Il y avait quelque chose de vide dans son regard et son sourire, un vide qui lui rappelait douloureusement son reflet, les premiers jours après son réveil...

« - Sorry, what ?» demanda la rousse, dans un Mandarin un peu approximatif mais tout de même assez correct, après avoir tiqué en entendant cette langue étrangère, qu'elle n'était absolument pas supposée connaître et encore moins parler, pourtant elle avait bien compris la phrase d'Eddy.

De son côté, Eric n'avait pas dit un mot mais continuait à observer l'interaction entre la jeune femme et son collègue. Ayant déjà eu affaire avec des addicts, le comportement et le manque de "vie" de la jeune femme lui y faisait très clairement penser.

Eddy resta bouche bée avant de reprendre en secouant la tête:

"-Depuis quand vous parlez mandarin?"

Sa voix était plus basse et son visage plus sérieux qu'auparavant. Il voyait bien que son collègue avait à faire ailleurs, aussi se contenta t-il de rester fixé sur la rousse. Au pire, si un client venait, il saurait très bien le gérer. Il était doué pour gérer plusieurs choses à la fois. Mais il n'était pas dit qu'il ait l'occasion de revoir Faith/Indigo plus tard.

La concernée répondit, avec cette fois un peu plus de vivacité, mais complètement perturbée et presque effrayée.

« - Je ne sais pas, je n'en savais rien...» Finit-elle par ajouter tout bas, toujours en Mandarin, sans vraiment penser que l'on peut l'entendre, « Personne ne m'a parlé de ça !»

"-Comment ça personne ne vous a parlé de ça?" fit semblant de s'étonner Heddwyn/Rip, il ne pouvait pas laisser voir qu'il était parfaitement au courant du talent en langues de Faith, "Est-ce que vous êtes sûre d'être en sécurité ici?" demanda t-il ensuite, cette fois sincèrement concerné.

Il ne voyait pas 007 d'où il était (et pour cause, celui-ci était à la table de poker entrain de se rapprocher des membres de la famille) mais il fallait dès que possible extraire Faith. Surtout au vu du traitement subi (d'après le dossier et Eric) par les employés.

« - Ce n'était pas écrit dans mon dossier de vie... Et personne ne m'en a parlé.»

Puis aussi soudainement que la vie était revenue dans le regard et l'attitude d'Indie, elle repartie alors que la rousse répondait immédiatement à la seconde question.

« - Bien-sûr que je le suis, c'est Madam et sa famille qui me permis d'avoir une vie correcte depuis le décès de mes parents. Sans eux je ne pourrais pas avoir accès au traitement pour ma condition.»

"-Et comment tu le sais ça?" demanda Heddwyn tandis qu'un sourire ironique apparaissait sur ses lèvres, "Tu l'as lut dans ton... Dossier de vie?" poursuivit-il avant de se tourner pour servir un client.

C'était toutefois ironique qu'il la reprenne sur ça, lui qui était dans le même cas qu'elle. Mais sa déontologie et sa morale passaient pour le moment en second plan, il avait autre chose à faire.

« - J'ai vu les documents officiels qui en attestent, et puis je n'ai pas de raison de douter.»

Elle répondit plutôt énervée que l'homme remette ses "bienfaiteurs" en question, à ce stade Indie était complètement incapable de réfléchir de manière rationnelle à ce sujet.

Elle ajouta néanmoins, beaucoup plus bas et sur une intonation différente, elle semblait perdue:

« - Je ne me rappelle de rien... Comment je pourrais faire autrement que de m'y fier...»

Le brun leva les yeux au ciel, jetant un regard à Eric:

"-Tu veux lui dire ou je m'en occupe ?"

Il valait mieux qu'ils commencent par extraire Faith, ou Indie. Après tout, ils avaient un total de trois explosifs, et il doutait qu'on les leur ait donné juste pour le fun. Quoique, au vu de l'attitude désinvolte de V, ça ne l'aurait pas tellement surpris.

« - C'est toi le mieux placé pour en parler, et puis vous discutez depuis tout à l'heure. Je vais plutôt vérifier si la sortie est safe.» Se dédouana son collègue qui préférait s'occuper de sécuriser leur sortie, il se tourna néanmoins vers la jeune femme pour lui demander si elle avait des affaires.

« - Je... non. Je n'ai rien à part mes affaires de travail...» Répondit automatiquement Faith qui était maintenant complètement perdue dans toute cette agitation.

Elle commença même à sentir un mal de tête pointer le bout de son nez, une nouvelle fois par automatisme, donc suivant les instructions du docteur Wilson, elle sortit une petite boîte de médicaments afin de prendre son traitement.

"-Non mais t'es sérieux?" grinça Heddwyn avant de soupirer en secouant la tête.

Voyant le geste d'Indie avant de commencer ses explications, il attrapa vivement la boite avant de la placer hors de portée de la jeune femme:

"-Vous allez commencer par arrêter de prendre ça. Votre dossier ne fait mention d'aucun problème de santé nécessitant ses médicaments. Par contre, je peux vous parier que je peux déduire les effets secondaires avant même qu'on les fasses analyser. Je parierais sur une désorientation permanente, ou presque, un manque de concentration, peut être même des insomnies et une intolérance à la lumière directe. Mais surtout, je pense qu'il vous empêche de vous concentrer assez pour retrouver la mémoire."

Maintenant définitivement larguée et perdue, Faith se sentit envahie par une violente vague d'angoisse et de mal être. D'habitude, le traitement lui évitait de subir ça, mais maintenant que le barman l'empêchait de le prendre, elle n'avait pas d'autre choix que de traverser la crise qui s'annonçait.

Cela fait maintenant plusieurs minutes qu'ils discutaient et elle n'avait absolument rien fait de ce qui lui avait été demandé, la responsable risquait de ne pas être clémente du tout si jamais elle se rendait compte qu'Indie n'a fait que discuter avec le barman.

« - De quoi vous parlez ?! Pourquoi vous savez tout ça ?!»

Les paroles d'Heddwyn perturbaient la jeune femme au plus haut point, elle semblait sur le point de craquer complètement, tout ce qui lui offrait un semblant de stabilité était violemment remis en question.

Faith savait qu'elle ne devrait pas y prêter attention et simplement partir faire son travail, mais elle n'y arrivait pas. Tout ce qu'elle pouvait faire;c'était c'est rester plantée là, sans rien faire.

Avant de répondre, Heddwyn tira une bouteille d'alcool du placard du bar et remplit à moitié le verre avant de le pousser vers Faith.

"-J'ai un minimum de formation sur la famille et leurs procédures. Ils sont très doués pour la manipulation visiblement, suffit de voir dans quel état ils ont mit une informatrice du MI6, Faith Hale." ajouta t-il en lui faisant signe de boire.

Il se tenait près à l'extraire à tout moment, sachant qu'Eric était à la sortie et que 007 distrayait la maîtresse de maison au poker.

« - Faith Hale...» répéta t-elle avant de se laisser tomber sur un des tabouret de bar, incapable de rester debout plus longtemps. Elle avait évidemment toujours beaucoup de mal à aligner plusieurs pensées cohérentes mais c'était déjà un petit peu mieux que si Eddy ne l'avait pas empêchée de prendre son "traitement".

Malheureusement, son angoisse, elle, était loin de se calmer, Faith ou Indigo elle n'en savait rien, elle n'avait de souvenirs d'aucune de ces deux identités et jusqu'à aujourd'hui tout était tellement plus simple.  
Ce fut d'un geste tremblant, bien qu'elle faisait tout son possible pour le cacher, que la rousse prit le verre servi par le barman et le vida cul sec, espérant que l'alcool pourrait apaiser la tempête dans son crâne.

"-L'alcool n'aidera pas longtemps." l'avertit le brun en s'accoudant au bar, "Maintenant, je ne vais pas te demander de me croire sur parole, mais tu lui ressembles comme deux gouttes d'eau, tu es visiblement amnésique et manipulée donc je doute assez peu de mon intuition de suite. Même si rien de te reviens, même si tu te penses en sécurité ici, il est hors de question que tu restes. Je te propose un truc simple, on t'extrait, sans contrepartie, on te donnera le dossier de Faith et après, tu feras ce que tu veux."

À ce moment-là, le peu de sens commun et de bon sens auquel la rousse avait accès se mit à lui hurler d'accepter la proposition du brun, c'était une drôle d'impression qu'elle avait souvent ressentie avant de prendre les médicaments lui ayant été prescrits, alors pour cette fois, elle allait l'écouter. Pour une fois, elle allait laisser tomber ses instructions et penser par elle-même:

« - De toute manière qu'est-ce-que je pourrais faire d'autre...»

"-Rester ici. Mais je ne vous le conseille pas." répondit Heddwyn avec un sourire.

Il se pencha en avant et, sur le ton de la confidence, lui dit:

"-Au fait, mon vrai nom c'est Heddwyn, mais tu peux m'appeler Eddy. Ce qu'on va faire, poursuivit-il en chinois, c'est qu'on va commencer par te faire sortir. Retire la plaquette avec ton nom et détache tes cheveux. Tu n'es plus en service dear."

Il fit de même, mit du désordre dans ses cheveux plaqués vers l'arrière, dénoua savamment sa cravate et, gardant toutefois sa veste, se composa un sourire charmeur inhabituel sur ses lèvres. Il ne lui avait fallut que ces brefs changements pour se transformer en un tout autre personnage.

"-Allons-y."

« - Dans ce cas, "Faith" sera plus approprié.» Lui répondit-elle avec une assurance complètement inhabituelle et dont elle n'avait pas la moindre idée de la provenance, jamais depuis le moment où le docteur Wilson l'avait réveillé, ne s'était-elle sentie aussi confiante. Que ce soit l'effet de l'alcool ou de l'étrange rush d'adrénaline qui envahit son corps, l'effet était bel et bien réel.

C'est donc avec cette énergie retrouvée que la rousse retira sa plaquette et l'élastique qui maintenait ses cheveux en un chignon serré , et c'était plutôt agréable, son cuir chevelu était devenu plutôt sensible après autant de temps passé sous tension.

"-Très bien mademoiselle Hale. Je serais donc un invité concerné raccompagnant une jeune femme ayant faillit faire un malaise à un hôtel." Ajouta le brun en lui faisant signe de passer devant lui.

Slalomer entre les invités, les serveurs et les meubles s'avéra d'une facilité déconcertante pour l'espion. Ses deux dernières missions l'avaient emmenés loin de la foule, mais c'était là où il était le plus à l'aise et il retrouvait ses marques et habitudes en un instant. Par exemple, il trouva sans le moindre mal le chemin qui les cacherait le plus aux yeux de ceux pouvant les reconnaître. Arrivé près de la porte, Heddwyn se mit à chercher Eric du regard.

L'autre agent n'était pas bien loin, il attendait l'arrivée de son collègue, n'ayant pas de doute sur les capacités d'Eddy à convaincre la jeune femme de se laisser extraire de cet endroit.

« - Alors c'est bon, on la fait sortir et on préviens papy ?»

De son côté, Faith ne réfléchissait pas et se contenta d'avancer en direction de la sortie, son cœur battait à une vitesse folle et elle sentait que si jamais ils devaient s'arrêter, ses jambes auraient probablement du mal à la maintenir debout.

"-Ramène-la à l'hôtel, passes lui une de nos chambre ou trouves lui en une à côté et donne lui son dossier. Il faut qu'elle commence à s'informer." ordonna Heddwyn, jetant un bref coup d'oeil derrière lui, "Si on découvre que je suis pas qui je prétends être, j'aurais qu'à rejoindre 007, mais je vais continuer pour le moment. "

Il y avait très peu de chances qu'on le découvre, mais il se doutait aussi que la Famille devait comporter des membres qui étaient plus doués que la moyenne. Du moins, il le supposait si ils avaient réussis à se hisser à ce niveau là.

« -Je m'en occupe, retourne donc là bas avant qu'ils remarquent que tu manques le boulot ou que papy s'endorme pendant sa partie.» Acquiesça vivement Eric avant de prendre le relais avec Faith pour la soutenir, alors qu'elle suivait le mouvement sans discuter.

"-Yup! I'm on it!" répliqua Eddy, adressant un sourire à Faith avant de retourner à l'intérieur.

Dès qu'il eut passé le pas de la porte, il rabattit ses cheveux à l'arrière, resserra sa cravate, remit la plaquette avec son nom et se composa un sourire poli. En quelques instants, il était de retour derrière le bar où il reprit les commandes comme si il n'avait jamais quitté son poste.

Pendant ce temps-là, Eric sortait du manoir et de la propriété aussi vite que la discrétion et l'état de Faith le lui permettait, une fois à l'extérieur ils seraient déjà plus en sécurité. Pour le moment, c'était encore plutôt risqué, la rousse pourrait être reconnue.


	6. Chapter 6

6: Bond, James Bond.

_Alors que 0013 réussi à sortir de la propriété avec Faith, la famille Grayson avait commencé à s'agiter, ils ne savaient pas ce qu'il se passait exactement, mais ce n'était pas normal. Quelque chose ne tournait pas rond, Madam trouvait plutôt étrange qu'elle n'ai vu aucun de ses employés depuis le début de l'événement._

"-Vous suivez ou vous vous couchez madame?"_ demanda 007 en levant le nez en de ses cartes pour adresser un regard neutre à la femme qui se trouvait en face de lui._

_Il espérait que son agitation, visible sous sa poker face, n'avait pas de liens avec ses deux collègues. Mais bon, il n'en aurait pas non plus été étonné le moins du monde..._

_Madam haussa un sourcil presque moqueur qui semblait dire__ " — Tu plaisantes, comme si j'allais te laisser l'emporter."_

_Ce fut donc avec son ton froid habituel qu'elle lui répondit:_

« — Je suis.»

_Les lèvres de l'espion britannique s'étirèrent en un fin sourire narquois._

"-Dans ce cas, j'ai bien peur que vous deviez rattraper vos pertes sur une autre partie ou en un autre lieu." _dit-il en lançant face découverte ses cartes._

_Celle-ci présentait un huit, un sept, un six, un valet et une reine de cœur, le tout formant une quinte flush. Chose fort difficile à battre, même lorsqu'on était Madame Grayson._

« — Effectivement, je dois m'avouer vaincue pour cette fois.» _Répondit celle-ci en étalant ses cartes sur la table._

_Elles étaient en effet loin de valoir celles de James, ce qui n'était pas pour lui plaire. Ne pas contrôler la situation était on ne peut plus désagréable pour elle qui avait l'habitude de contrôler la totalité de sa vie._

_Le sourire de l'espion ne bougea pas d'un iota. Il était plus qu'amusé par l'attitude de son adversaire. Les autres joueurs avaient fini par se coucher, la mise finissant par être trop élevée pour eux, aussi n'était-il resté qu'eux deux. Il prit les jetons donnés par le croupier avant de se lever de la table._

"-Au plaisir de refaire affaires avec vous Madame."_ railla t-il avant de s'éloigner._

_Il ne s'attendait pas à atteindre la sorti, pas en ayant subtilisé autant d'argent à la Famille, mais qui sait? Cela pourrait être intéressant._

_Il n'était effectivement pas prévu de le laisser partir comme ça, après tout un accident à la sortie était si vite arrivé, ce ne serait pas le premier à se perdre dans les nombreux étages et couloirs de la résidence. Mais faire une scène maintenant serait mauvais pour leur image, alors pour le moment, James ne sera pas dérangé._

__La fille aînée, responsable du personnel, venait d'être informée qu'Indigo avait été vue discutant avec le barman pendant un moment -chose très étrange étant donné que la rousse avait interdiction formelle de discuter avec ses collègues en dehors des nécessités pour le travail- Alice Grayson décida donc d'aller jeter un œil dans la salle de réception.__

_De son côté, Heddwyn venait de refaire cinq bloody mary pour un serveur qui se chargea bien vite de les emmener dans la foule. Lorsqu'il se tourna de nouveau vers le comptoir, il vit une jeune femme s'approcher de lui. Il la reconnut immédiatement pour être l'une des filles de madame mais Rip n'était pas censé le savoir. Aussi lui adressa t-il un sourire commercial :_

"-Je peux vous servir quelque chose miss?"

« — Pas pour le moment, je suis venue voir une serveuse avec qui j'aurais besoin de m'entretenir, et comme elle à été vue discutant avec vous» _Dit Alice sur un ton au moins aussi glaçant que celui de sa mère, c'était visiblement un trait familial._

_Heddwyn arqua un sourcil, restant dans son personnage:_

"-Il va falloir être plus précise mademoiselle, j'ai discuté avec plusieurs serveuses, que ce soit pour des commandes ou un client... Difficile."

_Alice soupira intérieurement, pourquoi fallait-il toujours que ce soit si compliqué, ç'aurait été tellement plus simple si le personnel se comportait correctement._

« — Je cherche Indigo Jones, une rousse plutôt tête en l'air et parfois maladroite, elle a manqué sa visite médicale.»

_Heddwyn feignit un instant de réflexion avant de laisser son visage s'éclairer par la compréhension:_

"-Oh! La rouquine!"_ comprit-il,_ "Oui, on a discuté un peu, visiblement, elle n'était pas dans son assiette, j'ai crut qu'elle avait eu des problèmes avec un invité et lui ai conseillé d'aller voir la sécurité."

_Satisfaite de la réponse, mais néanmoins suspicieuse, Alice acquiesça après avoir lancé un regard méfiant à Heddwyn avant de se retourner et aller voir les agents de sécurité._

_Heddwyn adressa un sourire poli à Alice avant de retourner à ses occupations de barman._

"-Un martini au shaker, pas à la cuillère barman. _" demanda une voix au comptoir._

_L'espion leva les yeux au ciel. Ce n'était pas le moment. Il exécuta la commande et la posa devant James, de toutes façons, il avait prévu de l'informer de l'évolution de la situation._

"-J'ai croisé votre amie monsieur, elle a été raccompagnée par la sécurité. Merci de nous avoir informé de son état_." dit-il sur un ton neutre._

_Ton neutre qui manqua de faire rire celui qui le faisait face. Venant de celui qui se foutait de lui plus tôt, le voir obligé d'employer ce ton était plus qu'amusant._

"-Bien, merci pour l'information. Bon courage._ » le remercia t-il avant de se lever, verre à la main pour sortir._

_En parlant de Faith celle-ci était installée dans la chambre supplémentaire qu'Eric avait prise, entre la sienne et celle d'Eddy par précaution. __Elle était loin d'être aussi calme qu'en sortant du manoir, désormais au sécurité et dans un environnement dénué d'agitation elle ressentait clairement les effets secondaires de la montée d'adrénaline. _  
_Mais surtout le manque, elle avait maintenant manqué deux prises des médicaments, une à midi parce qu'elle était tellement occupée que ça lui était sorti de la tête, et une autre quand Heddwyn l'en avait empêché._

_Depuis qu'elle était arrivée et qu'Eric lui avait donné son dossier, ou celui de Faith, elle ne savait plus vraiment qui était qui ou si elle était réellement l'une de ces deux personnes._

_Pendant que la rousse s'était couchée sur le lit dans l'espoir de se reposer un peu -sans grand succès-, le manoir était en ébullition. Toute la sécurité avait été réquisitionnée pour empêcher James de sortir. Il n'était pas question qu'il parte d'ici avant d'avoir rendu l'argent gagné contre la maîtresse de maison. Peu importait le moyen mais jamais personne ne prenait de l'argent aux Grayson sans en subir les conséquences._

_Heddwyn avait remarqué la soudaine agitation, des hommes et femmes qui se postaient aux entrées et sorties, d'autres qui fendaient la foule comme des requins, mais il resta à sa place, gardant son rôle. Visiblement, soit l'un de ses coéquipiers s'était attiré des ennuis, soit la disparition de Faith avait été remarqué._

_James, toujours au milieu de la foule, son verre à la main et un discret sourire aux lèvres, observait leur manège. Deviner que la Famille n'avait pas apprécié son talent au poker n'était pas compliqué. _

_C'est aussi pendant ce temps que fut remarquée l'absence de la rouquine et, même si elle ne fut pas vraiment prise au sérieux, cela ne fit qu'empirer l'agitation du personnel._

_C'était comme si un intrus venait de pénétrer dans la fourmilière et que toute la colonie s'affairait afin de s'en débarrasser. __James ne tarda pas à se retrouver encerclé par des gardes mais aussi par ce qui semblait être des invités -en réalité des membres de la sécurité s'étant fondus dans la masse._

_Avant de réagir, ce dernier tira une cigarette et l'alluma avant de la coincer entre ses ses lèvres. Il arqua ensuite un sourcil devant l'assemblée et leva légèrement les mains en l'air:_

_"-_Si j'avais été à votre place, j'aurais demandé au barman de m'empoisonner, ça vous aurait évité une telle mise en scène. J'aurais dû me douter que Madame n'était pas une bonne perdante."

_Tout en essuyant un verre, Heddwyn leva les yeux au ciel. Il ne savait pas ce qu'avait son coéquipier en tête mais ce dernier semblait beaucoup s'amuser._

_« — _L'argent de la famille reste dans la famille. Vous êtes donc prié de le restituer._» __Annonça l'un des gardes qui n'en était visiblement pas à sa première opération tant l'automatisme était présent dans ses paroles._

_Dans le même temps, les deux agents se rendirent compte du retour de leur collègue ayant réussi à reprendre son poste sans être remarqué._

_James poussa un soupire désabusé et relâcha sa posture pour porter son martini à ses lèvres, terminant ainsi son verre. Ceci fait, il reporta un regard vaguement amusé au garde qui lui adressait la parole. Leur ordre de mission demandait qu'ils sapent la réputation et l'autorité de la famille, il ne précisait nullement comment._

"-Désolé messieurs, mais je vais décliner l'offre de la famille. Et je vous conseillerais de me laisser faire, si vous ne voulez pas en plus couvrir la sécurité de Madame de ridicule."_ déclara t-il sur un ton railleur._

« — Les ordres sont de récupérer l'argent de Madam, peu importe comment. Alors si vous n'acceptez pas de coopérer, nous serons obligés d'employer d'autres méthodes.» _Prévient le garde qui n'avait aucune idée de qui était la personne en face de lui, par contre il savait ce qu'il risquait si jamais il ne ramenait pas son argent à sa patronne et il souhaitait à tout pris l'éviter._

_Eric, lui dû retenir le fou rire qu'il sentait monter, le comportement des gardes l'amusant beaucoup surtout en sachant que James n'aurait aucun mal à s'en débarrasser avec classe._

_James leva les yeux au ciel. Tirer le Walter PPK du holster dissimulé sous sa veste de smoking ne lui pris que peu de temps, l'automatisme prenant le pas sur le reste. Il abattit l'homme en face lui avant de saisir un plateau vide tenu par un serveur pour l'envoyer rencontrer l'occipital d'un autre garde. Ce que le plateau fit, dans un _clong_ retentissant._

_Heddwyn passa une main désespérée sur son front, c'était définitivement raté pour l'infiltration..._

_Immédiatement, le reste de la sécurité fut alerté et tous braquèrent leur arme sur James avant de tirer à leur tour. Malheureusement pour eux, ils n'avaient pas prévu la présence d'Éric dans leur rangs et celui-ci se fit un plaisir de leur rendre la tâche la plus compliquée possible, sans se faire repérer. __Ce qui n'est pas tâche facile lorsque l'on se trouve au beau milieu d'une fusillade venant d'éclater._

_Q et V n'avaient probablement pas prévu que leur chemises servent aussi tôt. Mais heureusement pour James, les deux scientifiques savaient parfaitement ce qu'ils faisaient (enfin, Q savait ce qu'il faisait, V bidouillait). Les gardes ne possédaient que des petits calibres, incapables de passer à travers les mailles du tissus, toutefois, l'agent britannique releva d'un coup de pied une table ronde, la transformant en bouclier supplémentaire tandis qu'il continuait de tirer._

_Le second agent s'était mis à couvert, derrière le bar avec d'autres clients et employés. Il était partagé entre l'envie de filmer la scène, principalement à cause d'Eric en arrière plan, et profiter de l'occasion pour explorer le manoir._

"-Désolé, j'ai glissé chef!" _S'exclama Éric en bousculant son "supérieur" feintant une mauvaise chute. _

_Pour être honnête, celui-ci s'amusait beaucoup plus que ce qu'il avait pensé avant de commencer la mission. Jouer le maladroit était vraiment aisé et d'une efficacité redoutable._

_James le regarda faire vaguement amusé, avant d'envoyer la table dans les pieds des gardes restant (il faisait confiance à Eric pour s'écarter à temps). Tel un strike au bowling, les hommes s'effondrèrent comme des quilles. L'espion prit alors appui sur la table et passa par dessus eux. Après tout, contrairement à ce que s'amusait à penser ses coéquipiers, il n'avait que trente-huit ans et était encore tout à fait capable pour les acrobaties requises dans son travail._

_Arrivé sans le moindre problème vers la porte, il lança un large sourire au reste des invités:_

"-Si madame Grayson veut vraiment récupérer son argent, dites lui de contacter Bond, James Bond."_ lança t-il avant de s'éclipser._

_Coéquipier qui était effectivement écarté à temps, laissant tomber la comédie maintenant que tous les gardes étaient hors d'état de nuire._

« — C'était un plaisir mesdames et messieurs, j'espère que notre spectacle vous à plu et que vous passez une bonne soirée.» _Dit-il avant de s'éclipser à son tour, ne souhaitant pas attendre que les invités reprennent leurs esprits._

_James garda la portière de la voiture ouverte juste assez longtemps pour que son coéquipier monte dans le taxi._

"-Je suppose que tu en avais marre de jouer le stormtrooper ?"_ railla le plus âgé après avoir donné l'adresse de l'hôtel au chauffeur._

« — Yep, c'était soit ça, soit je laissais la table me faucher les jambes et vu l'état des gardes, ce n'était pas super tentant.» _Ajouta Eric sans prendre offense de la pique du plus âgé, plutôt l'inverse même._

_James laissa échapper un léger rire avant de sortir une liasse de billet de la poche intérieure de sa veste. Un impact de balles l'avait percé, mais autrement, les billets étaient intacts:_

"-Combien tu paris qu'en plus des empreintes, on va découvrir que ce sont des billets volés?"

_« —_ Pourquoi tu veux que je parie sur quelque chose d'aussi évident que ça ? C'est sûr que c'est de l'argent volé.» _Répliqua Éric qui ne prends pas la peine de parier, n'ayant pas envie de perdre inutilement son argent._

_James soupira:_

"-C'est une expression treize, une expression..."

_Le taxi s'arrêta devant la porte de leur hôtel. Le plus âgé sorti et régla la course._

"-Allons voir ce qu'est devenue notre ex portée disparue, même si je doutes qu'on puisse en tirer grand chose."

« — Vu l'état dans lequel elle était là bas c'est plus que probable, effectivement, surtout vu les médocs qu'ils lui avaient filé.» _Acquiesça le plus jeune en sortant à son tour pour renter à l'hôtel._

"-On sait ce qui lui ont donné? Avec un peu de chance, Q ou V pourrait commencer à chercher de quoi contrer les effets."_ poursuivit 007 en récupérant sa clé à la réception._

« — C'est Eddy qui avait les boîtes, donc faudra lui demander. Sauf si c'est écrit dans les papiers de miss Hale mais c'est peu probable. En parlant d'Heddwyn, il ne nous rejoint pas ?» _Demande Éric, qui vient de se rendre compte de l'absence de leur autre collègue, tout en récupérant lui aussi ses clés._

_James arqua un sourcil, remarquant à son tour l'absence du troisième membre de leur trio. Il aurait crut qu'il les aurait rejoint à l'hôtel._

"-Il a du profiter de notre sortie spectaculaire pour aller fouiller un peu." _supposa t-il en poursuivant sa montée des marches, _"Espérons qu'il sache ce qu'il fait."

« — Espérons. Bon, allons voir notre rescapée maintenant.» _Ajouta le plus jeune après avoir acquiescé aux paroles de James. _

_En effet, Heddwyn avait profité de la distraction offerte par ses deux coéquipiers. Il était désormais enfoncé dans les couloirs de la vielle bâtisse, afin de mettre la main sur toutes les preuves qu'il pouvait trouver. Argent sale, armes, drogues, dossiers, tout. Pour ça, il s'engouffra dans l'un des bureau du second étage et se mit à chercher dans les casiers métalliques qui s'y trouvaient._

_Heddwyn avait sorti tous les dossiers qui l'intéressaient, étalant ceux-ci sur le bureau. Sa lecture rapide et son esprit analytique lui avait rapidement permis de comprendre qu'il s'agissait de comptes rendues d'opération, cryptés bien entendue, mais déchiffrer ne serait pas compliqué. Il aurait juste à envoyer la clé de décryptage avec les photos. Photos qu'il prit rapidement avec sa montre avant de les envoyer sur le cloud de l'opération._

_Malheureusement pour lui, ce fut la seule chose qu'il eut le temps de faire avant de se retrouver coincé entre le bureau et tout un groupe d'agents de sécurité l'ayant repéré après que la situation se soit calmée. __Entendant du bruit dans son dos, Heddwyn se retourna lentement. Voyant le mur d'agent entre lui et la porte, il leur adressa un pauvre sourire avant de lever les mains en l'air:_

"-Pourparlers?"


	7. Chapter 7

7: Tea Cup

« We'll see that when you'll be sitting in a cell, under our watch. Until then, you better work with us." Said the guard who seemed in charge of the group, and also more smart than the ones James had faced.

Heddwyn made a face:

"Do I even have the choice ?"

«Yeah, between following us and us beating you until you're not enable to resist. Your choice. » answered the man, his face as cold as marble.

"Gentlemen, I'm not paid enough for the strong-arms tactics and I'm not doing it for pleasure." retorted Eddy on a sarcastic tone, a sly smile on his lips.

« In this case, walk snooper." ordered the chief of security as he made sign to his colleague to surround the MI6 agent to lead him to a secured cell and begin the interrogation.

Heddwyn made no comment and started walking. Weirdly enough, he felt no worry. He had never got caught (well, he did not remember ever getting caught). Logic would have had him at least panic a bit, just enough to wake up his survival instinct. Those were completely lost or so his answers to the guard's questions made it look so. If he had thought his sarcasm had reached its highest when he was with James and Eric, he would have been very, very, wrong.

"Ye know, when I said I wasn't paid enough for that, I might have lied just a little bit." jocked Heddwyn, an ironic smile pulling his lips

« Come on, answer the questions instead of playing the smartass. Who sent you ? What were you planning to do here ?" Growled the guard, getting seriously annoyed by Heddwyn's attitude.

"I don't know, pull out a list of your boss's rivals and play who's who, it might be fun." pursued Eddy without losing his smile, "And sincerely ? What I'm planning to do here ? And I thought Madam had the money to buy herself the best and only the best."

«I said 'Asnwer" ! JI ask the questions, you answer them ! » Screamed the guard, losing his patience.

Trying to make him more talkative, he sent a fist in the prisoner's stomach. Eddy took the time to gain back his breath, letting out a small growl of pain.

"Sorry lads and lassies, but I don't see the point on wasting my main card on a dogsbody." he pursued, "If I ever do talk, it will be to a family member only. After all, I got a price."

« The family won't be disturbed by your presence, unless you reveal something worth warning them." Announced the guard.

The latter was going to pursue his interrogation (likely with his fists) when he received a call from one of the lieutenant. Apparently, he was asked to transfer his prisoner to Madam's private sitting room. A place where she only received her associates.

« Changing plans, you're moving out.»

Quickly understanding the subject of the call, Heddwyn let out a low laugh:

"Apparently, my presence only is already interesting enough for your superiors to send you back to play alone with your toys." he let out with a dark look and a fixed grin on his lips.

All of that while he was sincerely wondering how he would get out of this one.

* * *

At the hotel, the two other spies had joined the room Eric was renting for Faith. They had both went through their own bedroom to check everything was still here and that no one had searched through their room and/or left a mike.

As Eric walked to the room he had left the redhead in, he heard the sound of a broken, whistling, breath. He frowned. Last time he had seen Faith, she was perfectly alright. Well, in shock, obviously, but still. It's puzzled that Eric entered the room, quickly followed by James.

The latter cocked an eyebrow :

"When you and Heddwyn told me she was disturbed, I must say I wasn't expecting that." he commented as he glanced around the files, notes, papers and pens lost everywhere.

A paper hurricane had gone through the whole room. The room service would have a lot of work to do when they would be gone.

"It would be the right time to explain me what the hell happened to her."

« She suffers from a full amnesia, which we supposed is the result of her attack and abduction at her flat. She was apparently 'found' by the Grayson who took advantage of her amnesia to persuade her she was working for them. All of that with help from drugs gas lighting, they made up a full medical file to answer ever incoherences she might have found.» Explained Eric to his teammate as he knelt to check some of the notes laying on the ground.

"Oh boy. And obviously we don't have our expert on the matter with us." sighed James, passing a hand on his face.

He took off his tuxedo's jacket as well as his holster. He'd rather not put a weapon near a unstable person. He dropped the whole on an armchair (miraculously still up):

"Miss Hale? I'm James and you already met my colleague. Before we talk about your situation, is there anything we can do for you ?"

Said colleague frowned as he read the note. Apparently, the redhead was torn apart her two identities.

« I just want it to stop, I just want the pain to stop...» Replied Faith after a moment of silence, her voice shaking under her distress.

"Great she's going through withdrawal." Understood James as he stood up, "She might go through hallucinations soon, which is not a good thing for us, and there's no way to give her tranquilliser without knowing what the Family first gave her. Well, we could knock her out but I doubt it to be a good idea somehow."

« Obviously, to keep her calm and obedient, they needed powerful stuff. Damn it, I'm not trained in psychology." Sighed Éric who had not the slightest idea of what to do to help the young woman.

He was a field agent, not a bloody psychiatrist.

"Because I look like a Doctor Bond maybe ?" retorted James, " No need to answer. Anyway, I suggest one of us goes try and find someone with an actual degree in the matter while the other's stays here to monitor Hale's condition, alright?" proposed the spy, quickly understanding his colleague's non-existant (or almost) abilities in psychology.

« Looks like the best solution, I'd rather avoid venturing in this area, 'not really my thing." nodded the latter, more than happy to escape this part of the work.

"Great, I'll call the lab, they might have someone trained for that." concluded James before exiting the living room, leaving Eric alone.

Once in his own room, he changed the SIM card of his phone before calling the labs. After a few moments, he heard the tone :

"I don't know who you are, but you are not supposed to have this number. ID number and coordinates." Welcomed him a low voice on the other end.

"Cut the crap V, it's me." replied 007, rolling his eyes.

"Ooh ! Hello Mr Hunt!" mocked the scientist, well aware of who she was speaking to from the beginning.

"Yeah sure V, is Q around ? I need his help on something."

"No problem, I'll get him." answered V, "Hey Q! Your boyfriend's on the line!"

"Fuck Off V!" exclaimed a voice in the background.

The spy heard a knock, likely caused by one of the two scientists being hit or by the phone being thrown then caught. Knowing the both, the two options were valid.

"What can I do for you OO7 ? If it's about sharks again, I swear I'm quitting." eventually said Q's voice.

"As if it were my fault that billionaires have a thing for submarine wild life." sighed James before resuming, "But no, no sharks for now hopefully. I just need a quick psychology course for a traumatized and drugged informant."

"A course on- Ask OO11 ! I'm pretty sure he got a degree for that at some point !"

"I may not have him at hand right now."

"What do you mean you don't have him at hand ? Weren't you supposed to work together ?" Pursued Q's voice who was likely pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Hey, it's not my fault if your friend went off god knows where without warning!" retorted 007.

"And which one of you thought leaving the only amnesic of the group alone was a good idea ?" a sigh was heard on the end of the line, "Anyway, you need miss Hale to focus on her old personality, which means she need to understand her other identity never existed in the first place."

James listened to him for a bit before rolling his eyes. He opened the bedroom's door after a short knock to obtain Faith's attention:

"Here, it's for you."

The latter cocked an eyebrow but took the phone the oldest was giving her before he left her alone in the rom. She wasn't sure of the two men's intentions, or the ones of their employer, but they had for now only acted kindly toward her. Maybe they'd be able to help her.

"Hello ? Don't tell me the bastard hung up on me..." let out Q, apparently jaded.

« He didn't.» Answered slowly Faith, somewhat uncertain n what she was supposed to do or say.

"Oh. Miss Hale? I guess ?" Resumed Q's voice, "I'm MI6's Quartermaster, the one in charge to keep the two idiots with you alive. Mostly"

« Yes, I guess it is. It's name written on the file your colleagues gave me.» Confirmed Faith, even if she was still wary.

"I have no knowledge of the identity the Family has given you, you will forgive me for using the name I know. However, if you give me the one you were using until now, I would likely be able to prove you it has never existed and was only created a few months ago." proposed Q, "Of course, you have no reason to trust us, especially in such a conflict of interests. However, choosing a solid basis for your identity would be best. And no, medication is not considered as such a basis."

« I'm not planning on keeping up with the treatment anyway. And even if I want to, it would be a bit complicated. Indigo Jones is the name the Family gave me.» Replied Faith who only started to feel better, the drug's effects had now completely disappeared.

"Glad to hear so. I don't have as much knowledge on drugs and medication that I'd like to but my colleague filled me in. Your withdrawal is going to get worst and worst : Hallucinations, lack of appetite, sudden loss of energy and insomnia. To get through this, you'll need to listen to your body and not your mind. You'll need a lot of rest and a correct diet." explained Q before getting interrupted.

"You okay Doc ?" mocked V's voice in the background.

"Shut it V!"

«Wonderful news ! I'm going to be even more fucked up...»

At the moment, Faith had one and only dream : a bubble bath with a good book. A dream she wouldn't be able to accomplish right now, sadly.

"I didn't say it would last miss Hale, but the bad part is inevitable. Of course, without knowing more on your treatment, I'm unable to tell you more on the subject. " calmly pursued the Quartermaster.

« I can sadly not answer you either. I didn't take the medicine with me and, given how hard it was to focus, I don't remember the names.» Sighed the redhead, she was completely helpless in this situation.

"I'm not asking you to do so miss. You spent months on drugs, working for one of the most powerful crime family in Europe. Furthermore, you lost a lot of blood which might have caused your amnesia for all I know." explained Q, his last word tainted by sarcasm.

« Yeah... I know... What wouldn't I give to be able to relax with a good book right now..." Added Faith, expressing outloud the thoughts going through her mind.

"I don't know if you'll find anything good to read in the hotel, but I can only encourage you to do so. You've been through a lot in very little time. Could you pass me one of the two agents with you please ? I need to talk to them anyway." confirmed the scientist.

« I'll do that. Thanks for the advice." Replied Faith before getting off the bed to walk towards the door.

"You're welcome miss, it's my job." Answered Q, provoking a new sarcastic comment from V, after all, it was not his job at all.

Without a word, the young woman knocked on the door separating her room and the one where the two spies were talking.

«Your colleague wants to talk to you." Announced softly the redhead when OO7 opened the door.

James cocked an eyebrow but took the phone:

"I see, thanks, you should go and get some rest now.."

« I'll try, but according to him, it's going to be hard." Replied Faith with a touch of sarcasm has fatigue was starting to really settle down.

"Do the best you can. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be able to bring you to a safe place soon." Answered James before turning his attention on the phone, "What can I do for you Q ?"

"I think I managed to calm her down enough, which is absolutely not my job ! But you should keep an eye on her, especially when she'll start to experience withdrawal symptoms. For all I know, her build-personality could take over."

Faith nodded before leaving the room. She had no wish to be more involved in spies business than she already was.

"Great, this is reassuring..." sighed James, shaking his head.

His gaze stopped on the batch of bills which laid on the table :

"Without any link, I got a bit of pocket-money at Madam's, I sent the numbers and we'll bring them back for test."

"The numbers should be enough to know their origin, however, I wouldn't say no to a bit of Madam's DNA."

"I'll check with Braxter when he'll be back." confirmed James.

"Do ask him the deciphering key when he'll be back." answered the Quartermaster.

"Will do."

* * *

« Fuck off, you'll talk when the boss says so. Until then, shut your mouth." Replied the guard who started to slowly lose it.

Heddwyn had been an awful prisoner, half flirting, half mocking the men around him. If he had to admit it, the security chief had one wish : to beat the crap out of this arrogant brat to finally shut his damn mouth. Sadly, he couldn't. So he just uncuffed the prisoner and forced him on his feet.

"You can try to shut me up but I somehow doubt you'd be able to." replied tat for tat Eddy as he got up, cracking his neck.

The chief of security was having a hard time keeping his calm. His captive's attitude worked just like the latter wanted it to. Heddwyn was therefore abruptly grabbed by the shoulder and pushed through the hallways until they met with a lieutenant who took over the poor guard.

Heddwyn took advantage of the change to rub his right shoulder. Even without looking like it, the other had quite some strength. This done, he eventually focused on his surroundings. The room was a rectangle of red and gold. It was perfectly ordered, cleaned and brightly lighted. Madam loved to show off her wealth and it was awfully obvious. Talking about the devil, the latter was sitting on a red sofa, a file on her lap and a cup of tea in her hand. As the other guards left the room, the lieutenant guided Eddy to an armchair and handcuffed him to hit. Eddy rolled his eyes before focusing on Madam:

"Glad to see you again Madam, I do hope your party has gone the way you wanted it to ?"

« Everything was going for the best, until I was called about a nosy creature in the private aisle.» Answered the concerned without looking away from her file"What do you want me to say ? Your guards are a bit dumb to all regroup at the same place. You might has well have rolled out the red carpet for me." mocked Heddwyn.

« I'm not worried about that, they'll learn from their mistakes. However, you strangely look like someone else. To the point where it's disturbing."

Heddwyn cocked an eyebrow before shrugging:

"I got a very... Ordinary face Madam. I'm afraid this resemblance is only unlucky."

« If that's so, those pictures shouldn't remind you of anything." pursued the lady as she bowed to place them in front of her forced guest.

The latter showed no facial expression as he moved to see the pictures correctly. They showed bodies. Men, women, mostly well dressed and of an obvious social upper class. A very precise niche. Only two mode of operation appeared there. The first was a distance shot. Eddy recognized the damages to have been done with an AWM. Likely a modified one. It wasn't one of the rifle he used. However, thinking about using it felt somehow more easy than the one used by the British marines.

The other M.O was of a terrifying discretion. A deep cut, quick, to a vital artery. The victim would bleed to death in a few seconds without even noticing. No sign of the murder weapon but he knew what it could be, what it was. A short blade. One that could be hidden everywhere. A pen or a glasses' arm for example.

Noticing her guest inner turmoil, Madam took advantage of it to bring up new photograph. A new crime scene's pictures.

« I think this should interest you.»

Heddwyn's gaze only glide on the pictures. Same mode of operation, almost a draft of the previous ones. And more old too, if he trusted the publicities passing on the screens of Piccadilly Circus.

"Murders, assassinations. Likely done by the same person. I still don't see the link with me or my visit here." eventually declared Eddy, his face finding its neutrality again.

« Well, it just happens that their creator is right in front of me. After all, your attitude is very similar to the one of a well known hitman who has worked for some of our rivals." Resumed calmly Madam, as if everything was normal.

"My attitude ? You mean the fact that I infiltrated here then went through your stuff ?" guessed the youngest, "Last time I heard, no one died from my hand tonight, and I don't have an AWM, even in pieces."

« Yes, that and your self-confidence even in front of my security guards. And, after all, who knows what brought you there." confirmed Madam Grayson with a small smile on her lips, the reaction of the man in front of her intriguing her more and more.

"I am not here to kill anyone, if this is what you are suggesting. For what it matters, I already done what I had to do. And, even if I was your killer, you'd never had gotten that is, the guy is doing into discretion. I'm sorry to say, but you got the wrong mercenary." pursued Heddwyn, cracking his knuckles one by one.

« Look, there's no reason to get so upset for a simple misunderstanding." continued Madam as she tried to calm the situation as she started to lose control on it.

"Oh, see madam, is not 'just' a misunderstanding." replied softly Eddy as he pulled on his cufflinks before getting up and closing his jacket with swift finger movement, "But you should admit it is not a great idea to let me talk, especially without monitoring my hands."

The handcuffs were now locked on the chair's arm. Heddwyn sent a bright smile to the two persons in the room :

"I don't suppose one of you would have the kindness to show me the exit, would you ?"

The surprise was such than none of them replied or reacted. They had not even considered the option of their prisoner getting out of his handcuffs. And when the lieutenant eventually reacted, it was to put himself between the spy and his employer.

"Yeah, I thought so." sighed Heddwyn, "In a normal case, I would get out without laying a finger on you. But I need a DNA sample and, seriously ? I really want to punch you in the face since I read the file."

All of that was obviously directed toward the Lady of the House, since he gave little to no attention to her bodyguard. Even if the latter was precisely between them. Heddwyn therefore took the decision to take the chair he had been sitting on and threw it on the man. He was no adept of such brusk and unmannered solutions, but an unarmed attack seemed a bad idea against someone likely armed.

The man in question did nothing to avoid the furniture. Otherway, it could have hit his employer which he was paid to avoid. He therefore used his body as a shield, as best as he could but leaving the target completely unprotected.  
Heddwyn watched him do so, dumbstruck by such a tactical error. Shaking his head, he dodged the intertwined body and furniture to join Madam. He looked at her with his usual, almost angelic smile, before simply slapping her. Her lips had opened on the blow. Without losing his calm, the brunet he took out a tissue and wiped the blood.

"Thanks you for your cooperation Madam." sarcastically thanked the spy as he got up.

Only an offended scream replied to him. She was so shocked she had lost her ability to speak properly. No one had ever had the nerve to hit her before today let alone mock her in that way.  
As his employer was in shock, the man pushed back the seat blocking his way and stood up.

« I'm afraid I cannot let that happen." he said as he drew his weapon from its holster.

Heddwyn's smile faded away before the barrel now pointed toward his forehead. The spy was unarmed and he was not fast enough to avoid a bullet. The proximity between him and the bodyguard made his shirt completely useless. Yet, he was still able to disarm someone. He swiftly grabbed his adversary's wrist, twisting it in quite an unatural way. Just before breaking it, he used the other's strength to project him behind his back. The bodyguard ended up on the coffee table, breaking three of its foot. The tea cups broke on the ground next to them. In a movement more guided by muscle memory than actual knowledge, Heddwyn grabbed the longest piece and plunged it in the other's jugular as he was about to rise up. It had all happened in a matter of instant and in a disturbing silence. The spy dropped the ceramic piece and took a few steps back. He gazed at his work, almost worried. He had reproduced unconsciously and almost perfectly, one of the M.O showed by Madam. Heddwyn shrugged it off and walked towards the door but, before he opened it, he turned to the Lady of the house:

"The hitman who committed those crimes, the one you showed me... Do you know his work name ?"

After a moment of silence, the death of her bodyguard had been a complete surprise to her, Madam Grayson eventually managed to compose herself a neutral expression :

« Moran, Colonel Sebastian Moran.»

His hand still on the doorknob, Heddwyn nodded slowly:

"A soldier then." he noted before addressing one of his usual polite smile to the woman still behind him, "A good evening to you Madam, I hope we'll have the pleasure to see each others again." he concluded before existing the room.

Sebastian Moran, uh? The name was awfully familiar. If his wounds weren't so muddled, he would almost suspect the hitman to be the one behind them and the incident which had cost him his memory. However, the speed at which he had been able to reproduce the technic left a bitter, metallic, taste in his mouth. Something was wrong. He knew it.

« I surely hope not." Replied the lady of the house, wishing nothing less than to be finally done with this dangerous person.

* * *

Notes: 

Finally translated! Yay ! Feel free to bring any mistakes to our attention, I somehow doubt it to be perfect ! Anyway, hope you've enjoyed your reading so far and see you on the next part !


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: I need a drink

_Getting out of the manor was surprisingly easy, almost more than getting in. Which was likely a good news for the spy who was currently paying very little attention to his surroundings. He was to busy contemplating the Abyss again, killing his mind, searching for answers on why this muscular memory (which had likely taken years to be built) could have suddenly appeared from nowhere. But all his questions were falling in the dark. There was nothing, no one to answer them. _

_He pushed the hotel's main door, only just avoiding a couple leaving the place, before joining the room he was renting, letting the door slam behind him. The place was lighted by a soft golden colour, the curtains had been closed and the outdated furniture was disappearing under documents and papers. His gaze glided on his colleagues before stopping on the shambles of files here and there. _

"I need a drink." _sighed Heddwyn before walking to the minibar._

_His knuckles were bruised but the worst was the gash on his right palm. Gash he likely hadn't even noticed yet._

"I thought you didn't drink in service?"_ stated James as he cocked a surprised eyebrow._

_Hedddwyn turned a blank face to him, a filled glass now in his hand._

"And I thought I sucked with blades but here we bloody are." _he replied as he leaned against the bar before taking his glass to his lips._

«Okay. What happened after we left exacltly ? » _Asked Eric on a concerned tone, he had not missed the desastrous state of his teammate, and more precisely, the desastrous state of his hands. _

_Whatever had happened back there had been enough to trouble Eddy. _

"I went to take a look around, thus the pictures you must have received. Got caught, got punched. Then I met Madam and had the pleasure of slapping her which was clearly the highlight of my day and I ended up killing her lieutenant." _briefly explained the latter, on a jaded tone. _

_He however made no mention on what he had learnt about the hitman. He didn't need a new layoff and would rather do his research by himself, or almost. _

"All in all a great night." _mocked James._

« Well, if you don't mind, we could use your help on a few things. Starting by the deciphering key for the files you sent us and also what medication miss Hale was under. Cause right now, she's a mess.»_ Pursued Eric who didn't want to lose time. _

_Heddwyn nodded before going through his pockets. He found an orange box he threw at Eric:_

"I kinda know the effects, but to get rid of the eventual addiction, the only cure I know is time."_ he warned before getting rid of his empty glass,_ "Well, time and a good therapy of course."

"What about the key? _asked James._

"Oh, it's a virtual one, I'll just send it to the labs." _soberly declared the brunet before leaving the room. _

_James watched the door close before turning to 0013: _

"Or you're rubbing off on him, or something else happened."

« I doubt any of the two answers to be a good news any way. But I don't think I had enough time to influence him so my guess is that he's hiding something from us. And said something is messing with his head.» _Replied the concerned before sighing._

_He had not the slightest idea of what could have pushed their teammate to act like that. He didn't know him enough to understand the problem. Furthermore, one couldn't say he was very good with human relationships. Or relationships as a whole. _

"Hm. Glad we didn't let you use your psychologist abilities on Faith." _mocked 007, a small grin on his lips, "_You're good at psychoanalysing people but let's not give you patients. Now, question is, since we blow up our covers more or less widely, how long will the Graysons take to find us here ? Knowing it's one of the only hotel in the area, I'd say… A day? Maybe less."

«Hey, my job is destroying people, not fixing them." _mumbled Eric in fake offense before pursuing,_ "Half a day if they really put their mind to it, maybe more if it's the same dumbarses we faced."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you don't like people."_ nodded James without losing his grin,_ "Yeah, I'd almost wonder how the family lasted so long. But even with such manpower, I'm not sure I want to risk a fight with miss Hale in such a state."

_The question laid in M's hands. If she wanted them to keep going, they would but they had done most of the job already. MI6 could let MI5 take over, but it was well known that M was not a fan of their actual director._

« Oh, shut up Don Juan, will you ? But I'll admit that I have some… Doubts on the Family's actual capacities. Are we sure Madam is the sole leader right now ?» _Pursued Eric after mocking James. _

"Don Juan? Glad to see you still study literature in school." _retort the oldest before frowning slightly. _

_The Family had Madam at her head, it was the Queen's equivalent in her crime family. The idea of another leader had thus not came to his mind. Even if his colleague was right, they still needed more information on the subject… _

* * *

_Once the door of his bedroom closed behind him, Heddwyn dropped on the bed. He let out a small groan of pain when the wound on his hand entered in contact with the fabric. He stayed like that a moment before sitting up to get his phone. Changing the sims card once again, he quickly entered a number before getting up to find something to take care of his wound. _

"Eddy? I'm taking the others finally got a hold of you?" _guessed Q on the other end._

_The brunet rolled his eyes, a small smile appearing on his lips: _

"Oh, so I'm not 0011 anymore, am I?"

"Shut up, my service is almost over here, V's up for the next part." _replied the scientist._

_Heddwyn let out a small laugh, which ended with a growl of pain when he passed a disinfected cotton wool on the cut. _

"Everything okay ?" _enquired Q. _

"Yeah, just had a bad encounter with a cup of Earl Grey." _answered Ed' as he walked back to his bed while tending his wound. _

_Q chuckled. It was something rare to hear as he usually tried to keep himself very professional even with V as a colleague (sarcasm non included). _

"Well, that sure is a new one." _declared the latter before pursuing,_ "Anyway, what can I do for you ?"

"Well, first, I just sent the key to the lab so you should have it in a few and… -_Heddwyn stayed silent a moment, his left hand still on the bandage- _I need your help on something personal."

"Something personal, uh ? I think that's the first time you're asking me a favour."_ noted Q after a moment.._

"Oh god, please don't say it like that, it sounds like I asked you to sleep with me." _stated Heddwyn as he shook his head. _

"Moving on, what can I do for you exactly ?"_ immediately cut the scientist._

"I'd like to access two files. The one on my accident and the one of a hitman going by the name of Colonel Moran." _replied the spy._

_On the other end of the line, he could hear the noise of Q typing on his keyboard. _

"Do you think the both are linked?" _he eventually asked._

"Maybe? I already know I was on a security job when I fell but the mission was resumed by someone else and I never got any more information." _confirmed 0011, "_For all I know, he could be the one that shot me."

"You know that M is never going to accept that I give you access to your own file?" _finally answered Q. _

"Which is why I'm asking you directly and not to her." _answered Heddwyn, looking distractively through the window. _

"I could lose my bloody job for that Ed'..." _sighed the Quartermaster. _

"We both know they can't get rid of you Q, unlike me. I understand that I shouldn't have access to another double-o's assignment but I almost died because of that job and I'd like to know who I should blame for that."

_The room fell silent after his las words. Heddwyn could hear the ambiant sounds on Q's side but that was all. Eventually, the scientist sighed :_

"I'll see what I can do, but I really hope you know what you're doing."

"Thanks Q, I owe ye one."

* * *

_After a long moment of hesitation -since she had first read her file- Faith eventually decided to call the number on her file. Maybe this way she would be able to get an idea of who really was Faith Hale and why those "agents" (spies ?) had been looking for her. _

_The silence on the other end was only broken by the tonality, then, someone finally picked up. _

"Hakan Irving, what can I do for you?" _enquired a low voice on the other side. _

_The spy, more known as 009, was currently driving in the middle of the City toward an underground carpark. He was closing on his fifties with chestnut hair and beard stripped with grey. The number that had appeared on his screen was unknown but those were rarely mistakes in his line of work. _

« According to my file, you were the liaison between MI6 and Faith Hale, even if I guess I should say between MI6 and me since it would appear to be my name." _Explained the redhead, uncertain of what this call might bring her._

_After all, she did not recognise herself in the two persons on who she had had a file. __  
__Hakan almost slammed on the brakes at her declaration, which wouldn't have been a great idea given the current circulation around him. The dark haired man frowned: _

"Well, I guess it explains your call. I'm indeed 009. I'm glad to hear you're not dead, unlike what we thought." _He remarked while keeping a neutral tone as he engaged on a restricted road. _

_The car was quickly surrounded by darkness, only pierced by white and orange lights here and there which lighted the car park._

"What can I do for you ?" _pursued the spy as his car was parking itself without needing much of his attention. _

« To be honest, I don't really know. I guess I'm just trying to find out who I truly am. I can't trust a file to tell the truth, not anymore. » _Sighed Faith, who was likely saying way more than she should, but she couldn't help herself. _

"And therefore, you decided to trust a number in a file ? Sure. What would you like me to specify ? The terms of your partnership with MI6 ? Your disappearance ?" _pursued 009 as he got out of his car, taking a leather handbag with him._

_In a bip which echoed against the car park's walls, he locked the car. _

« I may have been drugged to comply but I am certainly not dumb Mr Irving.» _responded the redhead quite offended by the insinuation of 009._ « However you are for now the only other source of information. And I would very much like to know more about my disappearance, to understand how I ended up in this hell hole and why my memory has gone on bloody vacation.» _Answered Faith who really didn't feel patient nor well enough to resist the urge to sass the agent._

_Apparently, her quiet temperament had ran away at the moment her treatment had stopped. After all that had happened to her in such a short moment, she would appreciate if she could have answers to her questions without receiving judgement from anyone. _

"You used to live with a notorious dealer and drug addict. The latter likely discovered your work with us and sold you to the Family. Your flat was a gunfire target. When we entered the place, there were no bullets, no cartridge cases and no signs of your flatmate. Your body wasn't there but we found almost two litres of blood which was tested and revealed itself to be yours. Hence why we thought you were dead." _started to explain the spy as he entered a lift. _

_He had by no means taken offense in the young woman's tone, and pursued his explanation without a change. _

"The loss of blood might have, from what I know, lead to an amnesia depending on how long your brain was deprived of oxygen. And the drugs could have finished the work. But you should ask our doctors, my knowledge is sadly limited.

« Oh... It would indeed explain the lack of memories and the pain… I guess my flatmate was never found ?" _sighed the redhead on the other end, she hated to be left in the dark. _

_Not having any memories to understand the situation did not help at all. _

"No, he wasn't." confirmed Hakan as the lift stopped in the hall's floor, "We're still looking for him but I doubt we will ever have result on that side. My guess is that he has been killed or that he ran."

« I understand... I guess my memory will just stay on vacation for now.»_ Whispered Faith, clearly exhausted and irritated by the actual situation._

_She needed to remember who she was, to find her memory again. Otherwise, how would she be able to live, without knowing who she was ?_


End file.
